Birthday Party Time!

    

     I have failed miserably at keeping up with my blog...lo siento (I'm sorry!). So many things have happened, so I may try and whip out a few more posts before I leave in a few short days for the States.
     Anyway, I wanted to share with you all about a wonderful event that took place last Saturday (July 20th). I had the privilege of getting to sponsor a child from an orphanage here in Santa Cruz, Talita Cumi, for a special birthday party held at the lovely home of Bill and Heidi Janecke. As a sponsor you get to buy a present and spend time loving on your particular child that day during the fiesta. This party is a highlight of the year for several of the children. A few of them had NEVER celebrated a birthday or received a present until this party. Can you imagine that? What a great joy it was to watch their faces light up, and to feel so much love being shared throughout the day. I was able to hang out with Daniela, a little bundle of sweetness, and be her sponsor for the day! I loved every minute of the party--even the chaos of the piñata!

 

Me and Daniela

Piñata time at the park!

Cynthia and Rodrigo

Juan Carlos could not be more excited about his jersey!

¡Qué ganga!

     What a deal! I have been super enjoying the cost of living here in Santa Cruz. The currency of Bolivia is called Bolivianos (or "b's" for short). There is a conversion rate of about 6.9 b's to one American dollar. By far, I have spent the most money on food (story of everyone's life, right?), but you can get quite the deal on most things here. Today I bought 5 oranges for only about 60 cents! This past weekend I traveled with two friends to a village in the mountains called Samaipata (check facebook for more pictures!). The drive took about 2.5 hours one way. I only spent about $13 for both ways traveling, and for the one night in the hostel! We ate out a lot at some adorable restaurants so with that, total costs added up to be a bit more, but no one travels for that cheap in the States! Lovin life here in Bolivia!

Fresh Oranges-yum!

A lovely day in the lovely Samaipata!

Necessity for Life

     Have you ever been annoyed at the amount of time it takes for your water to become hot? If we're truly honest, we've probably almost all felt this at some point in our lives. However, have we ever taken a moment to be thankful that we have hot water? Or even water at all! What a blessing it is to have water at our fingertips. Hot water is not something that is very common here in Bolivia (and several countries around the world). For the past week there has been an issue with the water in the place where I am living...issue as in it's about a 50/50 if any water will come out of the faucet or if the toilet will flush (the kitchen sink is completely outie right now-not quite sure why, but it's currently a no-go). Through all of this and my other experiences here, I've become so much more aware of the importance, necessity, and blessing of clean water. I feel like in a very minuscule way, I have been able to empathize with the multitude of people all around the world who have no water (again, I don't truly know what this is like, but I feel like the Lord has showed me a slight, slight, glimpse of this).

     A new friend I met here is working with a ministry in Bolivia that drills wells for people in villages that have no clean water. What a sweet, and significant ministry that is! Their lives are changed by the drilling of a well, and the experience of a life-giving, life-sustaining, clean water source! As I think further about all of these things, I am reminded of Jesus who is the source of TRUE LIFE. I am reminded of the words of Jesus in John 4 as he tells the Samaritan woman,
 " 'Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.' " (John 4:13-14). I do not think that Jesus used this analogy on accident, actually I know He didn't! Water is vital for life. It is essential. It satisfies. It quenches. It cleanses. But only through Christ can we drink and never thirst again.

How thankful I am for His grace, mercy, and love. Thankful that I am able to drink the water He gives!

A Special Night at El Jordan

     For the past 5 weeks, 12 couples have been dedicated to meeting Thursday evenings at El Jordan to learn what it means to have Christ-centered relationships full of love and respect. To celebrate the completion of their class, a special dinner was put on by the staff of El Jordan. Many people spent hours decorating, cooking, and preparing for the dinner. What I didn't realize until talking with Corina later in the evening, was that for many of the couples it was the first or maybe second time in their entire lives that they had ever sat down to be served dinner! What an honor and joy it was to serve them. I loved watching them interact and treasure the evening. We had a lot of fun serving in our aprons too! Also, we got to enjoy the delicious kepri al horno (traditional Bolivian dish) at the end of the night as well. All around it was a splendid evening.

Un día sucio

     Yesterday, I decided to take a shower. This may seem like a very normal occurrence; however, because of the temperature here and the lack of heat in the water, I don't always have the gumption to shower. The showering part ended up being somewhat ironic due to the nature of the rest of the day...Well, it ended up being a very beautiful and sunny day outside, but several events took place which made it a rather "dirty day." As I posted earlier, I get to work with the babies. They are so precious. But they also come from streets/homes/with diseases that I truly know not of. It is also winter here in Bolivia (southern hemisphere). Winter means runny nose, after runny nose, after runny nose! In addition, one of the poor babies was evidently a little sick yesterday. I found this out in possibly the worst way: as I was picking the baby up, I noticed a strange "wet-ness" on my pants, next I realized that the "wet-ness" was actually poop! Yep. I got poop on my pants and my sweater. One of the many things the Lord has been teaching me so far is to serve joyfully. To serve Him and others joyfully even when I have poop on me. I won't pretend that it wasn't disgusting, but I also had to just smile. Oh, the many things the Lord uses to draw us closer to Himself. :)

p.s. I also got some chicken guts on my hands yesterday as well-just to add to the theme!

Daily "Schedule"

     I was going to attempt to catch you up on each day that I've spent here so far, but I'm beginning to realize that I don't think that is going to happen, so instead this will become somewhat of a "catch up" post, and then the daily posts will possibly begin. Possibly. :) So, I am currently living in an apartment on the 4th floor of a center called El Jordan (Centro de Apoyo y Orientacion). The Christ-centered ministry works with families (mostly with women and children, but some men too). Many of the people live in poverty and some live on the streets or are second generation street kids. The Center offers classes to women (such as typing, English, sewing, etc), so they may become more educated and sustainable. There are bathrooms, showers, laundry, and sometimes meals provided here as well. Some of the women travel many, many, long, dirty, miles to be here. El Jordan offers free childcare for babies/toddlers, and also for older children when their mothers are in class. El Jordan is also used as a distribution center, so many clothes, shoes, etc are donated and given out here. Other special evening activities occasionally occur here as well. Check out more at : http://www.eljordan.org/aboutus/reality.htm
   My daily week day schedule tends to be: staff meeting at 8am (ish), 9-12pm (caring for the babies), 12-2:30 (lunch and free time-everything in Bolivia "shuts down" during this time), 3-6:30pm (caring for the babies), free/evening activity. I should clarify now that Bolivia runs on "ish" time if any place ever did! It's a pretty relaxed and go with the flow kind of culture. I have the privilege of serving in the baby room while I am here. They are so precious! More to come about mis bebes, I'm sure. I've also been able to spend some time playing with many of the older kids as well. They think because I'm much bigger than they are, that I MUST be good a fútbol (soccer). Not gunna lie, it's pretty fun to be picked first for their team (maybe accidentally deceptive)! So, there you go. That is a very basic overview of what I'm doing while here. Although it might not seem like it, every day has truly been an adventure!

Safe Arrival

      I will forewarn you that I have been journaling daily but am just now actually beginning to blog. So if it's overwhelming, I apologize. I will also say this: I HAVE NEVER BLOGGED BEFORE, so please bear with me.
     I left the states (Chicago O'Hare to be exact) the morning of Tuesday June 25th, 2013. I was pretty nervous to fly alone. I got my ticket and through security in record time, and was thankful to have some time at my gate before take-off. The Lord so evidently went before me and reminded me often that He is sovereign and faithful. Every flight I had, I was able to have interesting experiences/conversations (I can share more with you sometime if you care to know, but I'll spare the rest of you with the details!). On my flight from Miami to La Paz, Bolivia, I got to meet a new friend named Maria. We began talking and through the course of our 3 hour (or so) conversation, I got to share the gospel with her! The Lord works in mighty and mysterious ways. You can be praying for her to truly come to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

 

Maria and me on the plane 

 

     I felt horribly sick as I sat on the plane in La Paz because the elevation is so high, but I just slept and when I awoke it was Wednesday morning and we were landing in Santa Cruz! Somehow I was one of the last ones through immigration (although, I was not the last one off the plane nor the last one in line...Oh, Bolivia) but I made it through with zero problems! I found my luggage and went out to meet Corina, the director of the place where I am living and working, and her four year old son, Keiden--my new best buddy, who were waiting for me with a Cinnabon and smiles. What a blessing! I was pretty tired from my travels, so after a lunch meeting of tons of introductions of staff/volunteers and some role playing, I unpacked and slept for several hours!