Bolivia Reflections

It has been a month and a half since I returned from the land of high mountains and inexpensive DVD's. I can truly say that this experience changed me.

The act of stepping outside my comfort zone taught me that I don't need to fear anything. While traveling alone to Bolivia I had no problems. Everything went flawlessly. I made friends and was loved by all of the people I sat next to and encountered. God is the ultimate protector and sustained me throughout the whole trip. Seriously, guys, God is so good. Whether you are at home or in another country, know that God loves and is protecting you.

This trip broke me. It broke me in more ways than I can express through writing. Most of my friends come home from missions trips feeling culture shock or a feeling of longing for their host country. They can't wait to go back to the country they visited. And while I loved my trip, I am content at where God has me right now. I love being home and I love my family. If someone were to give me free tickets to Bolivia, I would go in a heartbeat. But God revealed something to me in Bolivia that I don't think I could have learned in the States.

Before Bolivia I pretty much "knew" that God wanted me to do missions. I "knew" that He was calling me to a faraway place where I would be a medical missionary and save thousands of people who don't have access to healthcare. All good. BUT, I wasn't giving God my life. I wasn't saying, "okay God, you are the author of my life and I will go/do/love anywhere you send me." In my mind, I couldn't imagine that God might call me to the United States. How could He? A place that houses the best hospitals in the world? A place where there are plenty churches and Christians to share the gospel? Could God really be calling me to stay?

Bolivia showed me that God gave me a huge gift by placing me (from birth) in the States. By zooming out and removing myself from my home country, I was able to see the need of the church in the U.S. And some of the gifts God has (and hasn't) given me might be used best at home.

God brought me to a place of complete surrender to the Lord. Of course, I still have to remind myself daily that the Lord's plans always trump mine but I can honestly say I have given my future desires to Him. I am still willing to do missions and I am [now] willing to be on mission in the U.S.

 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:1-4 

So how has this trip changed me regarding my everyday living? 

1. I realize the importance of the church and I now feel that the majority of missions and service should be done through the church. 

2. I know 100% that God designed me to be a nurse. 

3. I see the need in the States as something that may not be material, but spiritual and often times hidden. 

4. I understand (a little more) the power of the Holy Spirit and am more humbled by the fact that when He is on my side... powerful things can happen. 

5. I am much more grateful for water and paved roads. 

6. So thankful for the friendships in my life and for the people who supported me while I was in Bolivia. 

I could write a bunch more but I don't want to bore anyone! 

CHAO!

Bolivia Recap Video

The Last Three Days

I apologize for my lack of posts! The last couple days have been a whirlwind as I adjust to life back in the states. Jet lag, work and family are three words that can describe my transition back to life in Seattle. I am so thankful that I have some time today to reflect on my time in Bolivia. I realized that I haven't blogged about Friday, Saturday or Sunday... so here goes a week old reflection on some of my favorite days in Bolivia.

Friday:

Back when I was fundraising for this trip, I contacted my home church (Bethany Community Church) informing them about my trip to Bolivia. Rhoda, one of the short term missionary coordinators, emailed and asked if I knew Rachel Longton. I didn't, but I was thrilled to find out that she had volunteered with HOH for a year AND she grew up in the PacNW. Currently, she is a full time missionary living in Cochabamba. She works closely with her church and women in a local prison. She is also a nurse and goes to BCC. After that, Rachel and I emailed back and forth. She was such an encouragement to me as I knew no one in Bolivia. She gave me advice in regards to packing and preparing for the trip. God was already using her in my life months before I met her in person!

Thankfully, we got to meet up my last Friday in Bolivia. Phoebe (a Wheaton volunteer) and I met Rachel at the hospital. In the truffi, we talked about how she ended up in Bolivia and how Phoebe and I were growing while in Bolivia. Her church office is in a remodeled movie theater. We helped her put together bible study packets that she is using for women in the prison.

We then walked to lunch and enjoyed a delicious meal at a restaurant run by the father of her pastor. We had salad, soup and the main course for around $2.50. I love Bolivian prices! At lunch, we talked about the School Of Christ. It is a school that is basically a 6 week intensive seminary. For 8 hours a day students learn more about the faith, and on the weekends students do service projects. Rachel hope is that people from the states are able to come and attend the School of Christ in Bolivia, kind of like a retreat. We both agreed that the American church has lost its passion for Christ. Living for Christ in the states is so difficult because we are surrounded by distraction. We both hope that students in the states understand the gift that learning about Christ in a third world can bring. Away from distraction and materialism, students have no where else to turn but the One who made them. How cool! Anyway, if you are interested in going to the School Of Christ in Bolivia (only costs $300 for 6 weeks of food and your books) then here is the link. Here is the link to the School Of Christ International's website. Please check it out! Also, there will be a school in English and Spanish and many of the people speak english so don't worry about the language barrier!

Me and Phoebe with Alejandro (right) and his brother and mom

Rachel, Phoebe and I outside the restaurant

We then walked to the women's prison. The prison was nothing like I would have expected. Instead of metal bars and cells, the women live in what looks like an apartment complex. In the center were tables and chairs where the women were free to visit their families. We met with a group of five prisoners who had become or were showing an interest in Christ. Most of the women have children and are in jail because of drug use or drug selling. They are the victims of a cycle that will be repeated until people like Rachel stop it. These women need Christ and Rachel is showing Him to them. She has started a women's bible study and buys yarn for the women to knit hats and scarves with. The women do an incredible job... in fact, we are going to try and open an Etsy shop where people all over the world can buy their products. Anyway, these women often have long jail sentences. When they leave prison, most of the women go back to life on the street. Which, sadly, includes selling and using drugs. The cycle begins again and many women return to jail. Rachel has found that the best way to reach the women that are on the streets is through the prison. In the prison, they are free from the temptation of drugs and are normally free to spend time with Rachel. She has been mentoring and loving these women. You can see how much she means to the women in the way they look at her and respect her. The minute they saw us, their eyes lit up. Rachel informed Phoebe and I that the women don't get a lot of visitors because their families are normally ashamed of them. Phoebe and I each shared a passage of the Bible and then we read My Utmost For His Highest. The square was loud and there were lots of distractions, but I think the thing that meant the most to the women were that 3 American girls came to visit 5 Bolivian women who are often rejected in the Bolivian culture. And, though I don't have much to offer, I hope they understand that I came because Christ deeply wants them to turn to Him and because He loves them.

After the prison, we talked and debriefed and they headed back to her church office. After grabbing our stuff, we headed to her apartment. There, we had a wonderful Bible Study with her pastor and then made dinner. I love cooking in Bolivia. The fresh fruits and vegetables along with all of fresh ingredients make most meals healthy (at least the ones we cooked) :) and cheap. Go Bolivia!

The three of us showing our prison stamps

Phoebe and 'tumbos' a fruit specific to Bolivia

Making dinner! 

Friday was a day I will never forget. It is hard to cram all of our conversations and my emotions into a blog post, but I hope you got a sense of how God is using Rachel and her ministry in Bolivia. When humans give God their lives and all of their plans, it is scary. Why? Because we don't know where He will take us. When we let God take us where He knows He can use us best, we may end up getting criticized by our family and friends. They may not understand why God would call us to Cochabamba to work with prisoners or why someone would leave all the comforts of the states for a small hut. Yes, it is scary and weird, but it is best way to live. Giving God our plans is the scariest and most fulfilling thing a human can ever do. I saw that through Rachel. People questioned (and still question) her sanity as to why she feels God called a young-female-adult-single-nursing-degree-American to Bolivia. But, once you get past the craziness, you see the joy. Rachel has more joy than most people I meet. She has a purpose and peace. Rachel is living her calling and God is using her. So, her life might be abnormal and hard to understand but God doesn't call us to normal. He calls us to follow to Him. He might call us to a third world country, or He might call us to our hometowns. No matter where He calls us, if we are obeying Him I can guarantee your life will be filled with everlasting joy that can only come from Christ.

Saturday:

Not nearly as exciting as Friday, but I needed a day to rest before my trip. I packed, slept in, read, and journaled. Some of the volunteers and I walked around the compound and took pictures of the flowers and mountains to remember the scenery of the hospital.

The guesthouse

Last meal (a 'camp out')

Emily and I

The mountains and the unfinished hospital extension, the government won't let the hospital add on another wing

The hospital from the guest house

The group before Lydia, Anna and Allison left. :( 

Sunday:

Woke up around 6AM because I couldn't go back to sleep after realizing that today was the day I would be leaving Bolivia. So many emotions. We all went to church and I said goodbye to Rose and Rachel and Hannah (two sick volunteers).All of the remaining volunteers piled into a truffi (with all my luggage) and we headed to church. Church was great, but I could understand all of what the pastor was saying. However, he spoke on Ephesians 2 which is what I had read during my quiet time that morning. Pretty crazy! Ephesians 2 is on unity in the body. It was a great chunk of the Bible to read on my last day in Bolivia. I think God wanted to remind me that even though I can't speak their language the Christians I was leaving behind in Bolivia were my brothers and sisters in Christ.

After church we went to Chinese food and ice-cream. Outside the chinese restaurant I took pictures with all of the volunteers I would be leaving. :(

Me and Wheaton! 

Me and Westmont! 

Me and Jeniece

Me and Emily! 

Neco and the rest of the volunteers dropped me off at Rachel's pastor's house. That was hard. I wasn't expecting it, but one of my favorite parts of my time in Bolivia was getting to know so many amazing college students from all over the country. I loved hearing about their vision and their passion for medical missions. I loved hearing their stories. And we were able to encourage one another when we got discouraged. I made lifelong friends that I hope to see again, I am so thankful for them all!

I ate more delicious food at Alejandro's house (Rachel's pastor) along with his parents and brother's family. They all live in the same house, just on different floors. That is very common in Bolivia as their are big families and they all like to live close by one another. the afternoon was filled with great conversation and community. I loved hearing about Alejandro's passion for revival in Bolivia and loved talked about the future of the School of Christ.

In the evening we went to Casa Blanca for delicious tea and cheese cake as well as more great conversation. Rachel and Alejandro drove me to the airport and stayed with me until I needed to board my plane. Their kindness meant so much to me. While we were waiting I showed them pictures of my family and friends that were in my iPhoto. The genuinely wanted to get to know me more and made it so hard for me to leave Bolivia.

Rachel and I and the view from Rachel's apartment

The cheesecake and tea from Casa Blanca

Alejandro and I overlooking the city

And with that, I boarded my plane to Santa Cruz and left Cochabamba. Before long, I was home and in my own bed. Now, I am praising God for such an incredible trip and trying to catch up on sleep.

Thank you for all your prayers in regards to my trip. I know that God answered a ton of those prayers because I had no problems traveling, I was (for the most part) healthy the whole time, and was able to make some incredible relationships. God is good!

Dental Hygiene, Wallyball, and more Bolivian Babies

The last few days have been filled with an array of emotions. Part of me feels like a kid counting down the days until Christmas. I love it here, but I am ready to be home. The other part of me feels like I need to soak in every moment I have left in Bolivia. Only three more days! It is crazy that it has almost been three weeks. It is crazy that God has taught me so much in my time at Bolivia. An

d it is crazy that I will be home in my bed with my family in a matter of days. Okay, now for the recaps.

Wednesday:

In the morning Rachel, Allison and I had the opportunity to go to a local elementary school and examine some of the kid’s teeth. The hospital dentist offers free care for some of the kids that need help. We walked up to the classroom filled with happy 5-year-olds. One by one I examined their teeth. One by one I was shocked by what I saw. Rotting, cavity filled teeth was the norm. It was hard to decide who would be able to receive care because all of them needed a dentist.

On the way back, the three of us got to talking. This is a problem that could easily be prevented. Dental hygiene is so important and it is an easy thing to advocate for. Many oral diseases are preventable. The dentist told us that many of the parents don’t know or don’t care about hygiene. For breakfast, the kids drink sugar water and sugar cereal. Candy, soda, and junk food are a common part of their diet. The parents don’t understand how important dental hygiene for their children. It is a cycle that will repeat over and over again until someone cares enough to stop it.

We understand that the likelihood us preventing all potential cavities in Cochabamba is small. But, we came up with a plan that might make a small impact in the lives of the kids in Vinto, Bolivia (the city where the hospital is). Many of the volunteers have advanced expertise and the hospital doesn’t need us all day. So, we are going to try and start more community outreach instigated by the volunteers. We want to start with dental hygiene. We created a presentation for the teachers, brainstormed unique ways to reach the kids and even have a $500 fund started. It is really encouraging how excited we all got as we were brainstorming different ways we could reach the community. We are going to be talking with Neco about our ideas and the volunteers that will be staying longer hope to continue the project.

Please pray for the idea. I think it has great potential, but grassroots ideas often die quickly. Pray that the other volunteers would stay motivated and that the community would be open to more volunteer led outreaches.

In the evening, we all went to play Wallyball. Wallyball is really popular in Bolivia, it is basically volleyball in a racquetball court and you can use the walls. My team was called the Llama Cows (because we all love llamas and cows). We didn't win a single game, but we had a lot of fun. We all had a great time living out Bolivian culture. The fun kind of ended when one of the girls and I started feeling sick again. (DON’T GET CONCERNED MOM, I am fine). Just tiny stomach aches. Anyway, one of the girls has celiac disease and accidently ate some gluten tonight. I told Neco that we needed to go back and within minutes God provided a way back. Everyone else was having a great time, so we didn’t want to ruin their fun by forcing them to go home. After telling him, Neco comes back to get us and says that he has the hospital ambulance outside. Apparently they were driving by at just the right time and so we were able to ride back in a Bolivian ambulance with the sirens on. Of course, we weren’t feeling 100% but it was a cool experience. We pulled up to the ER where some of the other volunteers were working. They were all a little confused when we pulled up to the ER and two white girls got out. We are both feeling a lot better

My Wallyball team

Playing Wallyball

Thursday:

Today was my last day in the hospital. L Unfortunately, it was pretty boring. Thursdays are normally pretty slow in the hospital. I went to the gastrointestinal doctor. He is really funny and nice, but he is a little irresponsible and just left Allison and I. It was fine because we got to talk to some patients and wandered around the hospital looking for things to do.

In the afternoon we all went to the baby orphanage one more time. The truffi ride there was pretty tough and we all got a little carsick. However, after we recovered, we all had a blast playing with the little’s.  We fed, changed diapers and loved on kids that don’t get a lot of attention. Tonight, one of the boys (Pablo) was especially attached to me. I held him for a good hour. I loved making him laugh and swinging him around. We would play this game where I would jump up one three and he would try to catch the little things hanging from the ceiling. He would get this huge grin after reaching one of the decorations. He makes my heart melt. If I had more room in my suitcase, I would bring him home with me. J

I am so excited for tomorrow!!! Phoebe and I will be accompanying Rachel for the day. Our plans include visiting a woman’s prison, a bible study, working in the church and more. I am so excited to meet Rachel and see more ways God is working in Cochabamba. I will fill y’all in later about the specifics. Please be in prayer for tomorrow though. DON’T GET WORRIED mom and grandparents, but my stomach is still pretty weak and I would really appreciate prayers for strength tomorrow and my travels home.

Allison and I updating our blogs in the hospital! 

CHAO! 

Iglesia, Car Accidents and the Burn Clinic

Sunday:

In the morning we all piled in the truffi and headed to downtown Cochabamba to attend church. The church was called, ‘La Iglesia Presbyterian de Cochabamba’. It was located in a small building and I never would have noticed if I were driving by. The service was simple, yet beautiful. We sang hymns in Spanish, a baby was baptized and a sermon was given. We also had communion. It was so encouraging to be able to worship God in another language.

For lunch we had llama. Yes, llama. It was so delicious and tasted like crispy beef jerky. We also had fried cheese, hard-boiled eggs and corn. I will need to go on a low sodium diet when I get back because I am eating so many fried and salty things, but they are delicious.

Me and the llama

Juice, a staple at every meal in Bolivia

Charque (or llama)

Emily and her llama!

We then drove back to the guesthouse where we had a relaxing and fun evening. I checked and wrote emails. Lydia (one of the volunteers) was giving haircuts to some of the other volunteers. She offered to give me side bangs, so I jumped on the opportunity. Don’t worry mom, Lydia did a great job. J There was a thunder storm in the distance. The whole sky would light up. It was incredible. We also saw a full rainbow…all from the porch. In the evening we played Spite and Malice. It was such a great start to my last week here. Thankful for the Sabbath.

More cows! 

Monday:

Today was incredible. 

After rounds, Emily had the idea to go and pray for/ visit with some of the patients that had been in the hospital over the weekend. Lydia and I talked to a woman who almost cut off her thumb. We were able to pray with her and encourage her a little.  As we were walking towards the emergency room (which is normally quiet) we saw a man with a bloody head and almost all the interns and doctors surrounding him. Little did we know he would be our patient today.

The first weekend of each month is basically a holiday in Bolivia. Most people go and party and [most] get drunk. Juan (the guy with the bloody head) was drunk and had been hit by a truffi. He was in a lot of pain, and after an ultrasound they discovered that he had internal bleeding. The next hour I got to see so many cool things! I got to see them put a catheter in him. They put a NGO and chest tube in the patient as well. While this was going on, two other patients were in the ER. One had broken his leg in half (the xray was crazy) and the other was an old lady with seizures.

Lydia and I were able to watch Juan’s surgery after asking the surgeon if it would be okay. Juan had massive internal bleeding so we knew the surgery was going to be epic. We got to see them cut open the abdomen and dig around looking for a bleed. It was so cool! The small intestine was laying outside as they checked for bleeding. During the surgery, they allowed the wife to come and see her husband while he was in surgery. I couldn’t believe it. The doctor was telling the wife how serious it was while he had half his arm in her husband’s abdomen.  It is a different world down here. They quickly found the bleed (we aren’t sure where) and then continued to look for other damaged places. Lydia, Rachel and I left before they closed him up because we were so hungry. The patient is fine and in the ICU currently. It was a bloody prayer-filled day!

In the afternoon, I helped mend some clothes for the boys at the orphanage with Alba, Lydia and Anna. We then went to the hospital storage room to help take inventory.

I am thanking God for this day and am excited for some new volunteers from Westmont to arrive soon!

Tuesday:

Today was hard but good. In the morning I shadowed the gynecologist. I got to hold this adorable two-week old and while the mom’s C-section scar was being checked. She was so kind as Rachel and I had a broken Spanish conversation with her. I also got to see a PAP smear, 25 week check up (for a pregnant woman) and a other random gynecological things.

In the afternoon we went back to the pediatric hospital. I went to the burn clinic. The burn clinic is a place for kids who have severe burns caused by anything from hot water to gas explosions. Seeing those burns has to be one of the hardest things I have ever done. As you enter the clinic there are posters that have pictures of the different types of burns. They were all pretty bad, but I didn’t think there would actually be patients that had full body burns like the ones in the pictures. Well, these kids had worse burns. A group of four of us went in-- me, Emily, Allison and Clayton. We were armed with Magic School Bus and Dora books—our main goal to bring a little comfort to their lives. The first patient I saw was a little girl in a full body cast. The only skin showing was his face, which had third degree burns covering all but his eyes. Some of the kids could move around, while others couldn’t move around all. It is hard to give justice to the horrendous injuries these kids have had to face. For most of them, it is a miracle they are still alive.

At first I wanted to run as far away as I could from these kids. Imagining their pain was too much. But the Holy Spirit kept me in there. Jesus would have loved these kids, and I wanted to too. So, I started by reading one, then two then three books to different kids. Some of the kids were able to converse with me, while others just stared into my eyes. One girl pooped while I was reading. She was 11 and the nurse brought in a bedpan while I was reading. I wasn’t sure what to do so I just kept reading, even through the smell. J

I left with such a weird feeling. So many emotions were circling my head. Thoughts like,  “How could God let this happen to kids? They don’t deserve this!” “Why do I complain, compared to them, my life is heaven.” And “If only they lived in the U.S. where the homes are safer and gas explosions don’t happen as often.” Anger, distress and pain filled our heavy hearts.

We were all talking about how we were feeling as we waited for the truffi. Allison said that it made her feel incredibly thankful for her life. I knew that I would never let my future children near a stove. It was hard. Wise Lydia reminded us of the darkness of this world. We all deserve disease, we all deserve worse 3-degree burns, we all deserve death. BUT, God decided that his son would take that pain. So here we are! We have a new body… but our earthly one is broken. Their burns are a reminder of our disgusting earthly bodies—bodies that desperately need a heavenly doctor.

So today was good but hard. Hard because I was humbled and good because I was reminded of the hope that Christ brings.  As we were leaving, I was reminded of this Helen Keller quote,

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.”

I love this. It reminds me of Jesus’ words,

 “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33

So tonight, if you have children, please give them an extra tight hug for me. Remind them to never touch the stove or the light socket and say a prayer for the burn clinic kids in the Cochabamba hospital. Tonight, I am thanking God for his peace and the hope that we all can all have.