Here we go...

2009-04-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, how do I report all that has happened in the last month. First of all, another sad goodbye took place on Friday as we said goodbye to Leann. She had been here since January and was a blessing and encouragement to our house over the last few months. Here is a pic of us together being goofy. Everyone thought we were sisters…what do you think? There are now three of us remaining at the hacienda.

It has been a busy busy month, especially at the community center. As you all know, I am in charge of teaching the girls group there. They had been behaving very well, so I thought it would be a good idea to take them to the movie theater. Going to the movie theater is a huge privilege for these kids and they seemed to really enjoy themselves. Here is a pic of us right before we packed into the taxi.

This past week at the center, we celebrated the fifth anniversary. Instead of doing the normal daily routine, we (the interns) were asked to plan a majority of the week for the kids. It actually ended up being a very very fun two days. We kept the celebration focused on Easter. We had an Easter egg hunt, we made salvation bracelets, and played lots of games. Here below is a picture of the balloons animals that we taught ourselves to make….it was quite a funny experience. Each kid got one and they loved it. The other pic is prayer time with the director, David. What a great time we all had!!! I have really grown to love the kids at the center…

The kiddos at the Frutillar orphanage are all doing very well. There are now 9 kids there and it is such an encouragement to leave each day knowing they are growing up in a wonderful house. Last week, we decided it would be nice to give the parents a break all day, so we took all the kids from 9-5pm. It was so fun. They came to our house for the morning and we did more Easter activities. We all went out to lunch and played the rest of the afternoon. They all seemed to enjoy themselves and I’m sure the parents did as well. We have also visited the four brothers from villa Israel a few times and they seem to be getting better as time goes on. We spent a couple hours there last week, played soccer and goofed around. I still miss them so much and miss how things used to be, but I know they are in a better place now.

After being in Bolivia for 8 months, I finally had the opportunity to see the city of La Paz. A friend and I took a bus there for the weekend to visit and see the sites. It is so different from Cochabamba! The city is huge and has high rise building everywhere and hills everwhere. Before we left, we paid to see Cholitas fight. These women wear their traditional dress (big skirts, long braided hair, and colorful sequence tops) and wrestle like WWE in the states. It was hilarious to say the least. Here are some pictures of the city as well as the fight. We were also there on Palm Sunday so it was interesting to see how this culture celebrated. We found they had many of the same customs that we do in the states with the palm branches and celebrations. It was quite an experience and I’m glad I got to go.

Well that’s it for now here in Bolivia…

A Hard Month...

2009-03-06T04:28:00.001-08:00

I wasn’t sure where to go with this blog because it’s been so long since I last wrote and a lot has happened. Ill try to be positive with how things have been going here in Bolivia. I will admit that this past week has been the hardest since I have arrived in Bolivia. The few weeks before this week were wonderful for various reasons. I feel a true purpose at the center working with the older girls. It has been wonderful and rewarding. They are a great set of girls and I really enjoy teaching them more about Jesus and who He is to me. As I mentioned in my email, we had an overnight camp for the older kids and I was able to spend the night with my girls. Tim was here during the camp, so he was able to come help out as well. Here are some picks of us all being silly. This is tim with two of the boys…our team was called the “cobras” and they loved doing the snake hand motions...so funny!

Here is a pic of all the kids that came to the camp…here we are praying for our snack. It was really a great time, full of games, bible time and more games.

Here are a few more pics of some of the kids at the center on a normal day. I’m very I encouraged by how well things are going at the center and I praise God that I am able to work there.

While the center is thriving, this past week at the Villa Israel Orphanage was very hard. Since I got back in January, the kids have been getting worse and worse, behavior wise. We thought the new house parents were doing well, but about 3 weeks ago they came to us with the intention of quitting. The mother is pregnant and they felt the stress of the house could be detrimental to her baby. We decided it would be best to change the mix of kids in the home, because they were really struggling. About 2 weeks ago, we removed two brothers and placed them back with their biological mother. About a week ago, we removed two more brothers and placed them in the Frutillar Orphanage. On Tuesday, one of the hardest days here for me, we moved four brothers to an all boys orphanage. We all went to the Villa Israel orphanage to pick them up. The hardest part was seeing Jhoel, my boy, sob his eyes out as he said goodbye to the house mom. That’s the point when I could not hold it in anymore; the rest of the day consisted of me holding back the tears. It was so hard to take them to a completely new house, with 16 new brothers, knowing that things would never be the same as I remembered. Although it was one of the hardest things to be apart of, I feel confident this new home will be a good fit for them. I have to believe that God is good and cares more about these boys than anyone else. I will keep you updated on their progress. We would like to visit them often!! I miss them so much already!! The only child left at Villa Israel right now is Neydi. We are hoping to find a more structured environment for her as well. Below is a picture of the four boys in their new home…Brandon, Erland, Jhoel, and in front is Samuel. Please lift them up in prayer as the next few weeks will be hard for them, especially for Jhoel, the oldest.

As I finish this blog, I ask that you would continue to lift this place, this country, this ministry, the children, and my heart up to the Lord. I’m trying to stay positive and trust the Lord even when I don’t understand what’s going on. Farewell for now, from Bolivia!!

Team Time

2009-01-28T08:03:00.001-08:00

As I wrote in my email, we had a team here with us for 10 days and it kept us very busy. As interns, we are expected to do all activities with the team and answer any questions or concerns they have. There was really no free time from the minute they arrived til the minute they left. I’m not complaining, we’ll just say that I’m happy to be back into my normal routine of things. We took them to both orphanages that we work at. They got to meet the kids, play and see how they live in each home. We also were able to do tidy up projects that needed to be done at each home. We painted, planted flowers and trees, built doors, cleaned and much more. I personally think the team enjoyed meeting and playing with the kids the most. Here is a pic of us at The Frutillar Orphanage and the flower garden that was planted.

We also took a trip Sipe Sipe and did a bread run. We were able to hand out 200 little bags of chocolate milk and the same amount of snacks. Of course, we had a bunch of candy to give the little kids as well. We were able to spend a few hours in this town, it was really neat. After that we drove up the mountains to some ancient Incan Ruins. We ate lunch up there and explored what it must have been like to live hundreds of years ago…here are some pics below of the bread run and the ruins. This is my roommate craig handing some things out to the little kids....

We spent a couple days in chapare (the jungle), but did not do much because of the accident. We were able to stay at this orphanage below for the night. It was cool to see the inside of a place where children will be living very soon. We stayed there for the night and the next day went to the nearby monkey park. This a park run by volunteers who care a lot about the monkeys in the jungles. They started a park that people can visit. Below is me making friends with one of the monkeys, before he realized I had gum in my mouth and decided he wanted it. Then he attempted to pull my hair out…awesome. Also below is one of the three orphanages in the jungle...

Here is the church that we partnered with while building the orphanage....the team.

Here is craig working hard at cutting back the crazy growth in the jungle...

So after the team left, we were able to get back into our routine. Here are some pics of us at the Villa Isreal Orphanage. Its still a joy to go there and see how well the new parents are doing with the kiddos. There are rules and regulations all over the walls in the house and the kids really seem to love the parents. We (the interns) decided to try some new things with them each week. We are going to have a specific time set aside for bible study time each week. This is one area that the kids really need more of. We tried it last week and it went really well. They enjoyed the story (Daniel and the Lions Den) and the questions that followed.

This is Neydi….she lives at Villa Israel Orphanage. She broke her leg last week and will be out of remission for about a month or more. She has a lot of energy and I’m sure it will be hard for her to be on the couch for the next month.

We were also excited to get back to visiting the kids at Frutillar Orphanage. We played an intense game of soccer with them and did some tutoring. The kids have been out of school since the beginning of December, so I think they’re all ready to get back into that routine. They start school again February 2….that will be good for us interns as well because we have more options for tutoring. Here are two girls at the Frutillar Orphanage (Dhalia and Viviana).

Hope you enjoyed the updates…sorry there were a lot. There are always things to report about here in Bolivia. I miss you all lots!!!

Sweet Reunion!!

2009-01-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

Thursday January 8th, 2009. A day I will look back on and smile. Craig (my roommate) and I went to visit the kids at Villa Israel and it was the sweetest reunion I have had in a long time. Before I left, I gave them a mini countdown calendar so they would know that I was coming back and on what day. So I decided to hide while Craig rang the doorbell. They all came to the door and came out saying hello to Craig and looking around. I jumped out from behind the wall and they all screamed, “hermana Jenny, Jenny!!” It was the cutest thing and it brought tears to my eyes; which as some of you know is a hard thing to do. They bombarded me with hugs and “te extrane mucho”(I missed you a lot). The rest of our time there was very fun. We all went to the park, I showed them pictures of the snow from Chicago (they loved that), I gave them each a little gift from the states, we read some books, colored and had snack. It was a fun filled day and a wonderful way to spend my first day back.

Things in Cochabamba are the same, except greener. We live in a forest area and when I left, things were not as green. Now I feel as if I’m living in a jungle, with growth everywhere and green everywhere. It is gorgeous and I’m very blessed to be living in this house. While things in the city remain the same....things at the hacienda have changed drastically and for a week it was me and Craig doing ministry together. In December we said goodbye to the two Katie’s, Kristen and Bethany, all who had been here since I arrived in July. It’s been hard not having anyone sleeping in my room or running into the girls in town. There are many things I miss, but I’m so thankful for the time I got to spend with them. Leanne (a girl from the states) is scheduled to come this Thursday, so I look forward to having another girl in the house.

There is really not a lot to write about right now, since I just got back and am getting back into the swing of things. I look forward to getting back into the schedule I had before I left. I want to continue with ESL, bible study and much more. Bolivia has been and will be my home for the next five months and I’m excited to see more of God and his work here . Here of some pics…hope you enjoy them!!

Here´s craig being crazy with the kids...

Here are some of my best buds....adrian and craig!

Bolivian Fun in the Cemetary and The Jungle

2008-11-27T05:15:00.000-08:00

Well the past month has of course flown by and has been full of many valuable cultural experiences. I wouldn’t say we celebrated Halloween, but we definitely were able to experience how Bolivians celebrate the Day of the Dead. The Day of Los Meurtos (the dead) is an important day here because relatives believe that if they leave a feast of food and gifts for the deceased and pray a lot, the relative will come back for a visit and eat the food. Another ritual here is to go to the cemetery all day and gather around the grave site and place food out for the dead as well. We all decided it would be fun to go the cemetery to see how Bolivians celebrate. We went with two other Bolivian people so we wouldn’t stand out too much and seem culturally insensitive. This was unlike anything I had ever seen before. People were everywhere! People were singing, crying, dancing, sleeping, celebrating, having picnics, and much more. There were even groups of singers that would get paid to come to the grave site and sing for the deceased person. Women and children were camped out with their blankets of bread, pastries, and meats for their loved one to enjoy.

Here is a picture of a man who was sleeping with a dead baby chicken on his chest. There are a lot of indigenous beliefs and practices associated with the god, Pachimama; this being one of them. They use dead fetuses and animals as protection to ward off negative spirits.

I was blown away by the crowds and crowds of people in every corner of this cemetery. I don’t know if I will ever go back, but I was grateful to experience this part of Bolivia and how different it is from the US.

Another highlight of this past month was our day journey to The Chapare, the jungle of Bolivia. We have been working on bunk beds since I arrived and they were finally ready to be delivered to the orphanage that is being built in the jungle. Five of us piled into the back of this huge fruit truck, not really ready for the bumpy and rainy ride.

Thankfully there was a huge tarp over us, until we got far enough into the jungle to take it off. This place is amazing, humid, steamy, green, and so different from Cochabamba. We got to the orphanage six hours after leaving, dropped off the beds and got back on the road home. It was a very quick ride, but I’m so glad I got to see another orphanage in the making. I’m so excited to be here in the upcoming months when they move kids in and get another orphanage started. Here are a few pics of what The Chapare is like. Below is the orphange.

Another highlight of this past month has been getting sick AGAIN! This is a pic of my roommate and I eating street food; excited at that moment. Haha if I would have known what was in store. I would not have taken one bit of that Lomito. All that to say, this time was worst than the last and I am now much more aware of what I’m putting in my mouth.

Our work at the orphanages continues to go well and I love spending time with these kiddos. I’m going to miss them so much while I’m away for Christmas. At the “Villa Israel” orphanage, there were four boys who earned enough points to go on an outing. They decided they wanted to go the cinema. Guess who had the honor of chaperoning….me! It was actually a really great time as we all sat, ate our popcorn, and enjoyed the entire two hours of high school musical 3. There were no other kid movies playing so we had to resort to singing, dancing, bad acting, and high school drama. Overall, they loved getting out and doing something fun. We also did face paint with both groups and they loved it!

On a sadder note, this is officially the last week that all four of the original girls will be here. When I arrived back in july, there were three girls here. As of next week, two of the three will have left. Things are coming to an end very quickly and come January, it will be me and the new intern, Craig, for some time. I know things will be fine and I praise God for the past four months he has blessed me with. I have made some life long friends and I can wish them the best and say that I’ll miss them terribly.

I can’t believe it’s already thanksgiving. Unfortunately it doesn’t feel much like the holidays without snow and family. God has richly blessed me with a family here, whom I look forward to spending the day with. I leave you with a psalm of praise and thanksgiving to our Lord and Savoir, Jesus Christ.

Psalm 92: selected verses
It is good to praise the Lord and make music to you name, O most high.
To proclaim you love in the morning and you faithfulness at night,
For you make me glad by you deeds, O lord;
I sing for joy at the works of you hands.
How great are you works, O lord, how profound you thoughts! You O lord, are exalted forever!

Lots of smiles, lots of pics....

2008-11-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I feel like there is so much to write about since it’s been about a month since my last
post….sorry about that. Hmm where do I start? I suppose we would officially say that rainy season has started here in Bolivia, it’s going to be a long couple months. No it’s really not that bad, there’s a lot less sun and frequent down pours when you least expect it. October has been a big month here at the hacienda; people have once again come and gone. We had to say goodbye to our great friend Jeff. Him and I arrived in Bolivia together, so it was hard to see him go. He may be back, we’ll see.

We spent a lot of time with the kiddos this month, playing, learning, and swimming. One Saturday, we had the kids from the Villa Israel Orphanage over at our team leaders house. They have a pool so of course the kids had a blast. Here are some pics of the kiddos sunbathing. Here is a pic of Jhoel, the boy I want to bring home with me….what a great kid he is.

The other days spent at Villa Israel could not have gone better. These kids seem to improve more each time we go. I think my boys really enjoy our tutor time together, not only because of the candy I bribe them with to work, but also because they get my undivided attention for a full hour. These two are so sweet and we always have a blast. We have started memorizing Psalm 100 together in Spanish, so Ill let you know how that goes.

Here is a pic of Neydi, the girl that I mentioned in my email. What a beautiful heart she has. We still don’t know exactly how she is adjusting to her new home, but we continue to pray for her and that she would feel God’s love and her family’s acceptance. The other little guy is Arland, he has good days and bad days. He loves to eat….that’s all he ever wants to do!

So another fun thing we did this month was celebrate my birthday. I don’t think I have ever felt so special on my birthday; God is soooo good and surrounded me special friends here in Bolivia. Not only did we celebrate on the actual day, as you can see in these pics below, but we celebrated for a good week. I got a north american and a south american cake, yes!!

We also celebrated in on the weekend by going out to a nice Italian restaurant. Here is a pic with some of the other volunteers that I have the pleasure of working with on a daily basis.

I thought the celebrations were all over until the next day, another cake appeared and we celebrated with our Potosi Team. How wonderful it felt to know that, even though I was far away from home and from friends and family, I was surrounded by friends and family here.

I haven’t written about our Wednesday mornings building bunk beds in a while. Things have really been progressing over the past couple months and soon the beds will be ready to assemble. I have used some heavy duty machines and have been scared to lose a finger or a hand, but God has kept us all safe. These beds are going to be used in the new orphanages that are going to built in Chapare (the jungle area where we work). It’s very exciting to see the progress of something we have been working on for months now.

As for the other days during the week. Our time at the center has it’s up and downs. The kids continue to be crazy and unruly, but we continue to learn from them each time we’re there. I have been working with the littlest kids and they have been improving for the most part. They still enjoy climbing up the book shelves, spitting on each other, hitting each other in the face, swearing, and crying. Aside from all that, we somehow manage to teach them about Dios (God) and how much He loves each one of them. This is Dennis, probably one of the most misbehaved kids at the center, but has grown on me in a weird way. Just look at those eyes.

These are twin sisters in our class. They are bad too, but just crave a little attention.

There’s not much to say about the Frutillar Orphanage except that the kids are the sweetest kids here in Bolivia. We see them twice weekly and enjoy our time with them each time. Just look at these pics….so great!

Well thanks for taking time to look at all these pictures, even if I got a little carried away. Sometimes pictures are the best way to express how wonderful things really are. Praise God for his continued faithfulness and for all the ways he is growing the kids. I miss you all....

Potosi and back again...

2008-10-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

The journey to Potosi and back in eight days was quite the experience. It hasn´t been my favorite experience here yet, but it is something I’m glad I did. We left Saturday, the 27th and encountered lots of car trouble therefore we stayed in Oruro the first night. This put us at about five out of the ten hours we had to travel to Potosi. One answer to prayer is that we had somewhere to stay every night and never had to search very hard. We had places to stay, but that’s not to say they weren´t freezing. Each night was about 30 degrees once the sun went down because we were so high in altitude. Potosi is the highest city in the world, about 14,000 feet. There were points when I felt the altitude change, but overall we all stayed fairly heatlthy the entire trip.

Heres the view from our truck...amazing!

Our Team...
So one highlight of our trip besides seeing the kids faces light up when they opened their box was the ride each day. The truck did well, except for the break replacement, the random stops to check the wheels, the random stops to check the hundreds pounds of luggage and boxes on the roof, the flat tire we blew up with a bike pump, and much more. I wish someone could caught our adventure on videotape because there were definitely some points when I thought we were all going to go over the edge of the mountain.

Our main purpose on this trip was to visit small, remote villages in a region called Potosi. These villages mostly consisted of brick huts, no electricity, one source of water and one school building (where we slept). Each day was similar in that we would arrive, do a puppet show about dental hygiene in Quechua (the tribal language in most communities), and play games. After the games, we broke the kids up into three classes and had them learn a verse and shared with them the meaning of the verse. It was a way for us to talk with them about God and His love for them. After class, we presented the kids with their own personal Samaritan’s Purse shoe box full of goodies from the states and Canada. The smiles on these kids’ faces were priceless and something that made the entire trip worth it. These kids were so thankful for a small gift and we made sure they knew it was from God and not us.
Pics with kids ....

Heres a village we visited....

At least two of the villages had a special presentation planned for us, which consisted of them wearing traditional clothing, dinner and even warm water so we could wash our hair. I don’t think I had ever gone over five days without a shower, it was good for me. By the close of our trip, we were all definitely feeling tired and it was hard to keep going at points. I learned a lot about patience and perseverance. When I didn’t think I could put on another smile or sing another song, God gave the strength needed for it.

We ended up giving out about 800 shoeboxes to kids in these communities. The smiles and responses were priceless and Jesus’ name was talked about openly. There were a lot of firsts for me on this trip….heres a list.

First time touching a llama, eating llama, and seeing a “llama crossing” sign on the road. First time getting ghiardia. First time leaving Cochabamba. First time speaking Quechua. First time calling Cochabamba home. First time doing a puppet show in Quechua. First time giving my testimony in front of a group of people without being prepared. First time without any type of toilet to speak of. First time not officially showering for 8 days. First time traveling around with a dead baby sheep (a present from one of the villages) on the roof of our car.

Overall, what a great experience and a wonderful opportunity!! I hope you enjoyed learning more about the remote villages of Potosi....hope you enjoy the pics as well. Love you all!

The boxes with all the little shoe boxes inside

Heres what our toilets looked like....if we were lucky...
Heres me with the llamas....
Check out how close i got to the llamas......wow!

2 months done....

2008-09-23T11:15:00.001-07:00

Well it’s been quite some time since I visited this page….sorry about that. There have clearly been lots of things going on in Bolivia in the last three weeks. We have had to filter the things we have been hearing about the political state of Bolivia, as well as the the rumors of sending all US citizens home. There have been many people evacuated as of now, but we have been safe and have not felt threatened at all. Today is my two month anniversary! It would be way too soon to go home right now, so I’m praying that the Lord would calm things down here and bring peace again.

There have been lots of things going on at the Hacienda as well. In three weeks we got three new people (volunteers/missionaries). Bryan came for about 8 days to take a break from his world travels. He’s been traveling since last august and decided to stop here to see what we do and to help. He was great to have around for laughs, encouragement, and security (its nice having a guy’s presence in the house). He is currently wandering around Argentina right now. Jeff flew in on the same day as me and has been staying with his brother since he arrived. He was supposed to head back to the states 2 days ago, but extended his ticket and will be staying with us for the month of October. Bethany just got here last Friday and will be here with us until December. We were expecting her to come in October; surprise, she’s came early! She lived here for a year in 2005, so she knows her way around. It’s nice having another person to help with everyday activities and ministry. Thank God for continuing to bring people here to do his work.

So enough about us….the kids are so great! The more I get to know them, the more I never want to leave! One of my fondest memories of the center kids will be the feria (fair) we held for the kids and their parents. Each class did a bible skit for the parents, which went really well. After that there were games, music, food and prizes. The kids absolutely loved it and had so much fun. As usual, it was a crazy and hectic day, but that’s a normal day at the center. Katie (my roommate) and I have taken over the youngest class and have agreed to teach class every Wednesday. I wish you all could observe these kids even for a minute. Once they are all packed into the small room, it’s a free for all. I have never worked with a more rowdy, naughty, and mean group of 3’s, 4’s and 5’s. They do not listen, unless they are bribed with candy, they mock me and Katie, they are mean to each other and are just crazy (running around the room, climbing the shelves, hitting each other, and crying.) We have managed to get through both bilbe stories in hopes they heard and will retain some of the truth we shared. Despite how stressed and exhausted I feel after Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I leave that place loving the kids more than the day before. God definitely gives me the strength for these two days and makes my heart hurt for them and love them more. Here are some of the kiddos from the center...haha so cute!

At the orphanages, i have continued beginning with a bible story and the boys at Villa Israel love that part. They would rather read bible stories the entire time, than learn English or any other activities I have planned. We have grown very close simply from our hour spent together each week. While the other kiddies are running around, we are able to escape and do our own thing for a small amount of uninterrupted time. They seem to be stuck on long multiplication problems, so that is one thing we’ve been focusing on a lot. It’s also been amazing to see how they take care of the younger kids. Jhoel has three younger brothers in the orphanage, so he is used to playing the father figure, but I continue to be amazed as he helps them, guides them, and is so patient with them. He is mature for his age and I have seen growth in both of my boys since I got here. I can’t imagine how I’m going to feel about these kids 8 months from now. Heres Roberto and Jhoel again....

Well personally, I’m doing well. I’ve agreed to teach ESL every week, because one of the volunteers had to return to the states. I actually had to teach last week, which was a very stretching experience. I’m glad for these experiences because I know God wants to challenge me and use me in ways I would not have imagined. I’m excited to be committed to this ministry and get to know more Bolivian people.

One area of prayer right now is a trip to Potosi that my roommates and I are all going on this weekend. On Saturday we are leaving for a 10 day trip to the antiplano, where Potosi is located. We will be stopping at 7 villages throughout the week to deliver packages and to spend time with the people and their children. The bus ride is a full day and we are going up to about 13, 000 feet, so I’m sure I will be feeling the effects. It is the worlds highest city, yikes!

I continue to learn and see new things everyday here and God continues to be faithful and ever present! This verse has reminded me of His love for me and more importantly for all people. Psalm 90:14 says, “Satisfy me in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” Amen! I miss you all lots!!!

2008-09-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

Spring in Cochabamba

2008-09-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

So winter is over here and it’s getting warmer by the day. I say warm and I mean it’s about 85 degrees in the sun, but the minute you step into the shade, you could easily freeze. So the flowers are beginning to bloom and Cochabamba is becoming more and more beautiful! It will be this way until November when the rainy season begins.

Well things have been busy these past couple weeks, but have been fun none the less. Now that there are four of us living at the hacienda, we spend most of our nights together. I feel as if I’m back in college; its kinda fun.

In the last two weeks, we have celebrated five birthdays at the two orphanages. It has been one of the sweetest things I have experienced since I’ve arrived here. Each birthday party has consisted of a cake and a small gift, usually from the house parents. It’s amazing how happy these kids are to receive one gift and a piece of cake! They especially love the attention from the “gringos”, all the white volunteers. So here are some pictures of the many bday parties we have celebrated this month.

Here is Arlan sporting his new clothes...he loved them!

Tutoring has been going well. I have begun to memorize some bible verses with some of the kids, in Spanish! They do such a great job and it’s good practice for my Spanish, as well. This weeks verse was Isaiah 40:31, my favorite verse in the bible. We spent four hours on Thursday at the “Villa Isreal” orphanage and had so much fun with the kids. There are now only three interns so tutoring can be tricky at times. I work with two boys, Jhoel and Roberto. They are the oldest boys in the house. I have found that “chicle” or candy motivates them. We spent an hour and a half reading a bible story in Spanish and working on multiplication problems. This also has been very good for my Spanish. I hope to do so much with them during my time here…they make my heart smile! Here is a pic of them...

Every Wednesday we help with an organization called “Food for the Hungry”. There is a couple here from the states who have agreed to help us build bunk beds for one of the orphanages. So last week I learned how to use a heavy duty electronic sanding machine. By the end of three hours, my hand was tingling. We have four out of ten bunk beds completed. This week was different because instead of building, we helped move Nate to a new shop. The way people “move” from one place to another in quite different here than in the states. Here is a picture of what we had to ride on for 30 minutes to get to the new shop.

It was very dangerous to say the least, but sooooo fun! We’re used to Bolivians’ staring at us, but this time they had a reason to stare….it was quite a sight. The Lord kept us safe and we successfully moved all the machinery and things to the new shop.

The kids at the community center continue to be bad, but are a blast to be around. It almost feels like I’m back at work in the states, because I constantly have to put up with negative behaviors. The only problem is that here there are no rules or disciplinary actions in place, so it’s a crazy three hours for me! On Wednesday, a mini swimming pool was brought in and the kids loved it. They stripped down to their underwear and dove right in.

This is Christian, he is a tough tough kid, but will smile when you tickle his belly. He wasn’t too sure about the pool, so he sat out and threw the balls at the girls.

We also spent a day making “kites” with the kids. These consisted of tissue paper, pieces of broom thistles, string, tape and a water bottle. The process of making the kites was very stressful, but the end result was more than I could have imagined. When they were ready to be flown, we took all the kids to the top of this huge hill and they actually flew very well in the wind. The kids absolutely loved the activity and had soooo much fun! Here is a pic, check out the mountains (God’s creation) in the background. This is where I live!

One thing to be thankful for is that our team leaders (the Timmers) made it back safely. They were on furlough in the states for the last four months and returned on Monday. I had never met them and had the pleasure of sitting down with them on Thursday. It’s a comfort to have them back here in Cochabamba, so praise God for their safe return.

I miss you all lots! Until next week....

More Changes...

2008-08-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well, this title basically encompasses how the past two weeks has been. First of all, all the interns at the Hacienda (the house we live in) all had to say goodbye to two special people. We tearfully said goodbye to Adrian, an intern from Australia. He has been here since April and he will spending the remainder of his time in Ecuador. We miss him already! Here is a pic of him and some of the kids...they really loved him a lot!

We also said goodbye to Rachel, who was with us for about three weeks. She is a sister of one of the interns who has been here since February. It was so great to have her presence in our house and an extra helper! We miss her as well. Unfortunately things are always changing in our house and new people are coming and going often! It does make for an exciting house to live in.

Well the day before they both left, we decided to go up to The Cristo. The Cristo is a HUGE monument of Christ the Redeemer, it is the biggest of it's kind. There is a smiliar "cristo" in Rio de Janeiro, but is only a little bigger becuase of the it's stone base. There's some history for you! So, we took a taxi to the top and the views were amazing! I will be sure to visit it again, becuase there are stairs that lead up and I would love to climb to the top. It was truly an experience and we are so lucky to be so close to it. You can see it wherever you are in Cochabamba.

When we're not climbing mountains or saying goodbye to people, we are spending a majority of our time with some great kids. We spent a good four hours with the "Villa Isreal" kids on Thursday. We are trying to teach them better manners and to appreciate what they have been given. We decided to tutor first and then put in a movie and made some popcorn. The first thing out of their mouth's was "is there more popcorn?" We tried explaining that it's polite to say thank you and not ask for more. It's little life lessons like this that may take them months to understand. They love to read, so we always spends lots of time reading books in spanish and english. The little guy in the middle is the youngest of all the kids we work with. He is 2 and a half. He is so precious, but seems to be sad a lot of the time. It's always a highlight when we get a smile out of him. He and his brother both live in the orphanage. They have come from a background of Quechua (the second most prevalent language in Bolivia). They are learning spanish, but still use the Quechua they have been taught. They are two of the sweetest little boys I have ever met!

Here is a picture of his brother, Elian. He loves to learn and always asks for homework! Below is picture of our "house" dog. We have named him pop tart. He likes to come around at dinner time for a nice meal that we often provide him. He is not very picky and like most things, except for vegetables. He is cute and I am probably way too nice to him.

There is never a dull day in Bolivia and I grow more in love with this place more everyday. Yesterday I got to play volleyball with a bunch of Bolivian kids my age, it was so fun. We played for almost three hours and I met a lot of really nice people. I also hope to meet more people my age at bible study and the ESL class that I will be helping at every week. Please pray that I will continue to work hard at spanish and not get discouraged. Pray for our ministry with the kids every week. Pray that we would be an example in our actions more than anything. Praise God for his faithfulness and for relationships thus far! Praise God for encouragement from family and friends back home. Here is another video I thought you would enjoy. This is at "Frutillar" Orphanage. I started to dance with one of the little girls and sing "bailamos"....she ended up loving it. It made me laugh! She is also a cutie and loves when we come to "play". Her name is Maribel...enjoy.

I love this place called Bolivia

2008-08-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

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.

First full week at my new home...

2008-07-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well lets just say this has been quite the week, full of many experiences and emotions. Well I wrote a little in my email about the plane ride here and the conflict with the taxi man. It is actually funny now that I think about it. He almost drove away with all my luggage in his trunk, ha. For those of you who thought I over packed, I did not! The weather here is quite unique, so I’m glad I brought all that I did. The mornings and the night are freezing; I currently have five blankets on my bed, because there is no central heating anywhere in Bolivia. The minute you step into the sun, you start to sweat. So by about 10:00 it starts to warm up. When the sun sets, it’s back to the chilly weather again. So all that to say, I wear layers and take them off as the day goes; good thing I brought lots to wear!

One thing that I must mention is dog situation here in Bolivia. I used to love dogs, but I’m afraid by the time I return to the states I will dislike them. There are dogs EVERYWHERE roaming around and they are NOT nice. The first bit of advice I received was to pick up a stone and pretend to throw it if a dog ever approaches me. It is sad; they are all skinny and ugly and go wherever they want. Yesterday, a dog came into church during the service; no one even flinched. So that is another thing I have had to get used to.

So I got here about a week ago and there was a team of four people here from Colorado. There were ten of us living here at the Hacienda. It was so nice to have them here, but unfortunately they left two days ago. I’m told that teams come through often and it’s always hard to say goodbye. So currently, there are five of us interns living here right now, four girls and one boy. The guy intern is leaving in two weeks, so that will be another hard goodbye. It will also be hard because the children really love having guys to play with. We are praying that the Lord would bring another guy intern to the Hacienda and soon.

On a more positive note, this country is BEAUTIFUL! When I flew from La Paz to Cochabamba, the entire flight was over these huge rock-like mountains, it was breath taking. I took so many pictures of it because it was so spectacular. I have attached a few pics below. Our house is on the mountain and surrounded by mountains on all sides. If you walk down a few roads, you can see the entire city of Cochabamba. The other picture is me eating a Kabob….yes they have very good food here! The last pic is of me and one of the cute little girls from “The Frutillar” Orphanage. Her name is Dalia and I tutored here on Saturday. She is so cute and offers me a lot of grace when I try to speak Spanish. Speaking of my Spanish, it has been difficult, but I am trying. That’s really all I can do at this point. I will start taking lessons this week, so that is an answer to prayer! I will keep you updated on how it’s coming! Well that was the longest blog ever….I look forward to posting many more.

Week number two begins soon, thanks again for all the prayers!! I praise God for giving me strength for every day I’m here. He is all I’m relying on right now for peace and comfort. I miss you all, but am sure this is where God wants me for the time! Til next week….you’re in my prayers! Jen

last day in the states

2008-07-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

This blog is for those of you who have been upset at my posting abilities. I must say that "blogging" will be something completely new for me, so just bear with me :) I will try my hardest to keep this updated and let you all know what's going on in Cochabamba.

Well it's 9:30 and my bags are in the car and I'm leaving in an hour. One thing I was worried about was my connecting flight from La Paz to Cochabamba, because I only have one hour lay over. Well, God surprised me last night when I received an email from a guy who is going to be on the same flight from Miami to La Paz. He is going to the same place as me to visit his brother. We just happen to be on the same flight, so now I have a traveling buddy! God is so good and answered yet another prayer.

I know you're all praying and I am so grateful for each prayer! I have felt an overwhelming sense of peace yesterday and even today as I say goodbye to close friends and family. I'm sure once I get on the plane, the tears will come. So I miss everyone already, but am ready for this adventure. Praise God for his timing and grace in all situations! That's all for now, I'll be in Bolivia by this time tomorrow, CRAZY!!

28 more days til departure

2008-06-25T10:36:00.001-07:00

Well after two months of not posting anything on my blog, I decided today is the day. I guess it's a pretty important day because I received my Bolivian visa in the mail today. It took about 5 days. not too bad. It's official, I'm going to Bolivia in 28 days....the countdown has begun! I also purchased overseas medical insurance and my plane ticket so now all I have to do is get to Cochabamba.

Thanks again for all the prayers, I've definitely felt them over these past couple months. It's amazing to see how God has brought me to this point. His timing is always perfect, but He does require us to wait patiently on Him and His plan. It's been a process, but I have enjoyed it thus far.

I'm sure the next few weeks will be busy and full of emotion, but I'm excited to get going. Gotta get through the next four weeks of work, saying goodbye to people, packing, my going away party, and much more. Can't believe it's already here....

Welcome

2008-04-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks for visiting my blog. This is officially my first blog so you will have to bear with me as I learn how to do the things that "bloggers" do. I made this page specifically for my trip to Bolivia, in hopes to keep it updated regularly. So this is my first entry....yea!