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
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| My Wallyball team |
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| 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.
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| Allison and I updating our blogs in the hospital! |
CHAO!
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