As I think of Bolivia I see the smiling faces of the children and adults of Florida Norte. What a blessing to partner in ministry with this loving congregation.
When it was decided that one of the mission trips this year would be to Bolivia I was excited and wanted to go. As the time drew nearer to commit to going, I was feeling ambivilent due to my medical issues. But Praise God, He always knows what's possible for me and I trust in Him. He blessed me to be able to go.
Traveling always has it's challenges, but I have to say that overall it wasn't bad at all. Matthew is a great leader and with Kristin we made a good team. I'd do it again in a heart beat. Unfortunately for Matthew he suddenly inherited two more mothers. Sorry Matthew but, as mothers, we can't help ourselves. Mrs. Beish, we were always looking out for your son. At the airport in Santa Cruz they paged him twice. Have you ever heard "Matthew Beish" with a Spanish accent? When we finally realized that they were calling him he went to see what was up. He told Kristin and me to wait at the cafe where we were. After waiting about 15 minutes we began to get concerned. Kristin went to look for him but didn't find him. We decided to wait about ten minutes before going to find him. As we were about to go he appeared back. We gave a big sigh of relief. Evidently, there was a "new" sniffing dog that thought he smelled something. When Mattew described to us what happened we were glad we didn't know what was happening at the time. We would have been in a state of panick. "All's well that ends well".
The accomodations at the SIM guest house were good as usual. It was like returning home. The host is a very sweet, older lady who is from Canada. Her name is Lorna. (Never did ask her last name.) I remembered Magda from my previous trip. Yeni, (It's pronounced "Jenny".) the leader of the children's education program at Florida Norte also works there. Everyone was very warm and welcoming.We had to leave there on the 22nd because they had a group of 24 people coming for a family reunion. We went to New Tribes which was more of a motel format, a little less interpersonal but equally as comfortable. The plumbing system throughout Cochabamba has it's limitation as to what it can handle so you can't throw ANY paper in the toilet. This is truly a challenge. (Enough said!)
Going to la "cancha" (huge market place) is an experience in and of itself. You talk about PEOPLE!!! They say that Wednesdays and Saturdays are the worst days to go due to the large number of people that go those days. The walkways for the most part are unpaved. What is paved is rough.You have to really watch your step as you swiftly move about. If you don't move you might get swept away with the crowd. It's really exciting. The shops, which are more like booths, are very small and cramped. I've never seen so much merchandise crammed into a single space. However, the goods are neatly displayed and the vendors are very happy to help you look at and examine the materials. Everything is so colorful! Severl vendors are selling the excat same things. The prices might vary some but they expect you to bargain with them over the price.
Thank the Lord for Abel and his guidance and assistance in many ways.He knows the best places to shop and the places to avoid. He knows where it's O.K. for us Americans to eat and where not to eat. He knows the best times to eat. You never eat from street or market vendors. (Even though the food smells and looks inviting.) We ate breakfast where we slept but other meals we ate outside as other meals were not provided. The Lord was with us and we remained healthy while there. Except for poor Matthew who had a cold. I think it might have been the short pants he was wearing??? ("Crazy Americans wearing summer clothes in the winter." Low to high 70s during the day.)
I think that the numerous photos that Matthew posted daily truly speak a thousand words! To see children having such fun with simple toys and crafts that our children take for granted everyday. This is certainly an experience that puts into perspective for us how blessed we truly are! The young adults have cells phones and some homes have TV but it's not like here where there's a TV or two to three in every home and the latest video game systems like Wii, Nintendo 64, Xbox, DDS, etc. It is a sincerely a humbling experience to have the opportunity to be and work with the Bolivian people and to encourage them in their faith in Jesus Christ.
It takes me time to get warmed up to write but once I get going, as you see, I can go on and on. I have to save some to share in person though. See you on Sunday! Thank you all for your prayers.
