The reality of 11 months on the World Race didn’t really hit me until 24 hours into a bus ride down Bolivia’s Death Road that was supposed to take 18 hours. Picture this… 5 young American girls (well 4 Americans and 1 Canadian) in an old Volvo double decker bus filled to the brim with thousands of pounds of produce and about 45 people (men, women, and children). We were supposed to leave La Paz at 1:00, but started rolling at about 2:45 only to get suck 2 minutes later in the middle of a busy intersection. Then after 30 minutes at a mechanic shop we were on the road again.
The trip from La Paz to Rurrenabaque is about 250 miles, but it includes a frightful drive down a one-lane road that winds around the mountain and is frequently referred to as the deadliest road in the world. We were “escorted” by a sweet 19 year old boy named Gonzalo who does not speak a lick of English. He bought us lollipops and attempted to get us something to eat, but we ended up with tiny whole fried fish and black potatoes that are dehydrated stepped on and then boiled.
Along the way we stopped 2 times for meals, once for the restroom, then again to change a flat tire. The second half of the trip was through dirt roads that had been turned into mud pits because of unseasonal rain. We would take hours to go a few miles because the bus would dip side to side through huge potholes filled with red mud. It was a fun reminder of Louisiana, and I couldn’t help but think about how much fun my brothers would have with a few four wheelers going through miles of Bolivian mud.
All in all the trip took 28 hours and lots of patience, but as we finally approached the uniquely simple city of Rurrenabaque we caught a glimpse of the unbelievable sunset that would be our reminder for the next month that God is good and his goodness is constant.
11 months is a long time, but I know that whether its 28 hour bus rides, mountain roads, weird food, language barriers, long days, or late nights his presence makes everything good. It might be a simple Christian cliché saying, but in Bolivia I have been reminded that in all things GOD IS GOOD.
EXTRA:
Here are a few things about my ministry this month:
- My team and I are working with Mission El Faro in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia.
- Our ministry contact is a sweet quirky 75 year old man named Jack from Florida who is a Pastor at an Assembly of God congregation. He also takes in Bolivian teenagers who need guidance or a place to stay.
- We have spent this month cleaning and painting retention walls that form the outdoor amphitheater where the church services are held.
- We are also visiting indigenous tribes in the area, bringing foo, and sharing the Gospel.
- Working alongside of us are 4 Bolivian boys who have become our best friends. They are Jeremy-25, Jose-22, Gonzalo-19, Elias-15.
- We are staying at with a host home where 3 families live and work together. They make and sell yogurt, sell homemade cakes, run a nursery, and teach Zumba classes.
- More to come in my next blog!
