Entering into our final week here in Uyuni, it’s hard to believe how quickly this month is passing. We have been busy doing all kinds of ministry during our time here. The day after we got here, we met with our ministry contact, Pastor Rolando, to discuss ministry for the month. He told us that a lot of people are out of town this month for winter vacation, so he basically asked us what type of ministry we would like to do since he didn’t already have anything specifically for us to do. We told him we could do anything from working with kids to manual labor to anything in between. After some planning, we came up with a rough schedule of what we would do each day. Pastor Rolando told us he was going to make an announcement through the local television and radio stations so people would know about the activities going on throughout the week. Well, little did we know that he actually meant WE would be the ones who were going to be interviewed at the television and radio stations. We were walking around town, and suddenly Pastor Rolando asked if we were ready to go to the tv station. Surprise! Only three of us speak Spanish fluently, so naturally we were the ones chosen to do the interviews. So I went, along with our squad leader Wes, (who also speaks Spanish) to the television station and gave our best attempt to explain why we’re here and what types of ministry we would be doing. The next day Wes, Mary Chandler, and I also had a radio interview. It was a neat experience (despite our lack of time to prepare). How many people can say they’ve been on Bolivian television and radio? Probably not many. We’re basically famous here now!
So for the past few weeks, our ministry has included the following:
manual labor in the church yard a few mornings during the week to level out a mound of dirt, picking up and burning a pile of trash, and digging out about 1,000 plastic bottles from the dirt. The purpose of this was to create a better space for the children and youth group to have Sunday school..jpg)
teaching English classes at the church during the afternoons, organizing activities for neighborhood children on Saturday afternoons and leading the youth group at the church on Saturday evenings, leading worship and preaching for the Wednesday night church services, street evangelism, visiting patients in the local hospital, and helping with children’s church on Sunday mornings
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As you can probably tell, this has been a pretty busy month. I’ve really enjoyed a lot of the ministry we’ve been doing, but some days are harder than others. Something that has become a bit of a theme for a lot of us this month has been learning to have a positive attitude and to choose joy. For me, this is a lot easier said than done. Some days it’s so easy to complain about our circumstances. Like when I am freezing cold every second of every day. Or when I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 5 days straight and haven’t showered in a week. Or when I’m sitting through a 3 hour church service and all I can think about is how hungry I am. These are just a few examples of things I’ve found myself complaining about this month. A verse that has been on my mind is Philippians 2:14-15:
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
Every time I want want to complain, God reminds me that my comfort isn’t what matters because I’m not here for myself. I’m here to serve and be a light to others, and if that means being a little uncomfortable then I just need to get over it. Despite the cold, I really have enjoyed my time here in Uyuni. I can’t believe how fast month one has flown by! I will attempt to post a photo blog with some highlights from this month in the next few days. We leave Friday morning to go back to La Paz for a couple days before heading to Peru early next week, where our entire squad will be together for month two. Please pray for safe travels on our 38 hour bus ride!
