Step One....almost check!

I have one more flight until I arrive in Cochabamba. I have a 4 hour layover, so I have some time to kill. :)

I am sitting in a tiny airport in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. After being very American and using Spanglish to buy my ticket to Cochabamba, I tried to use the pay phone to contact the driver for the hospital. Unfortunately the call didn't go through, but I did learn that in Bolivia the rings are more like the unavailable beeps in America. It was very confusing. Thankfully, I was able to email everyone.

Traveling has been so fun!! On the way to Miami, I sat next to a woman and we talked for almost the whole flight. Then, I met a girl named Jennifer while waiting for my flight to La Paz. She is a pediatric ICU nurse and also works for Samaritan's Purse as a transport nurse for children with cardiac diseases. She talked to me about medical missions and showed me incredible photos of her time in Uganda helping fix cleft lips. I also met several church groups, students working in Cochabamba, and an old Bolivian lady who advised me on what to eat and not eat in Bolivia. God is so good! I prayed for a friend on the trip, and he has already given me several!

Here are some photos I have taken!

My new friend, Jennifer! She has traveled around the world and was so helpful as I asked her tons of questions about medical missions.

The airport was at such a high altitude, several of the passengers had to use and oxygen tank! 

La Paz from the airplane.

La Paz, again. 

These mountains are amazing!

All of the homes by the airport in La Paz (biggest city in Bolivia). 

We went from flat to hilly really fast! 

And Santa Cruz was all green. 

"Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid. 

The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation."

With joy you will draw water

from the wells of salvation.

In that day you will say:

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done,

and proclaim that his name is exalted. 

Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;

let this be known to all the world. 

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,

 for great is the Holy One of Israel among."

-Psalm 12

Praises: 

• That God has brought me safely thus far.
• That I have been able to make friends and enjoy my flight.
• That there are so many Christians doing great things. On the flight to Bolivia I was surrounded by medical, teaching and relief teams or volunteers. People reading the Bible and loving one another. It was so encouraging- I was traveling with brother's and sisters in Christ. 
• A God who created Bolivia. It is so beautiful, those photos don't even begin to do it justice. 
• A God who loves each and every one of these Bolivians. He loves them so much, even if they live humble lives farming in rural Bolivia. He wants them and loves them. 

Prayer Requests:

• Energy. I couldn't sleep on the plane and so I haven't slept one wink in the last 24 hours. I feel awesome, but I know I will be crashing pretty soon. 
• For Jennifer and her patient who has tetralogy of fallot (a really serious heart condition). That she would have energy to love the family and that the surgery would go well. 
• For Christine, one of the ladies I sat next to on the flight, and her mom. Her mom is unconscious and has seizures and they can't figure out why. I told her I would pray for her, so the more the merrier!!
• My spanish. The more time I spend here, the more I realize I am NOT very good at languages. 
• The people I meet. That they would be open to the gospel message and that God would work through me. 
• A safe flight to Cochabamba! 

¡Adios! ¡Gracias por sus oraciones!