This month we are living in Chejje, a remote village a few hours outside of La Paz, Bolivia. We are the first World Race team our pastor, Lorenzo, has hosted and our ministry is completely up to us.
Before we started ministry, we prayed, asking what the Lord wanted us to do with our short time here. We felt He was leading us to have a bonfire this coming Sunday to get to know the people of Chejje, to hold a VBS for the children, minister to the women through Beauty for Ashes (a program that empowers women through art, stories, and fellowship), sports ministry, and prayer walking through the town.
Our second night in Chejje we ended up at their covered basketball court that they use for soccer games and social events. We found it covered in leaves, trash, and glass so we decided to clean it. That night we ended up playing a soccer game with some ladies we’d met earlier that day. They annihilated us, while wearing sandals and their traditional Aymara floor length skirts (google it, they’re beautiful).
At the same time, a few of us were teaching some of the children games like “red light, green light”, “Simon says”, and “duck, duck, goose”. Even just one day into our ministry we made some amazing connections with the people of Chejje.
The next day we were invited to a graduation celebration that we thought was beginning at 10:30. It didn’t start until almost 3 pm. But while waiting, we got to interact with some of the children that we’d met the night before. They talked about how much they loved the games they learned and showed off that they remembered all our names. The girls asked how to say some simple phrases and names in English and we practiced our Spanish with them.
Once the celebration started we were so grateful to witness some of their traditions. They tossed confetti on each graduates’ head as they passed through an arch, they played traditional instruments and drums, each graduate received a beautiful bookcase as a ‘congratulations’, and we shared a community meal, of goat (we think), potatoes, and fried bananas.
Even just with the short time we’ve been here it seems like we’ve already made some real connections that I pray will lead to something amazing happening in the village of Chejje.
