South America!! We have officially made it to the continent of our dreams, and we couldn’t be more excited. Our first month here is in the city of El Alto in Bolivia. And honestly – it is freezing! We have been in warm countries for the last 7 months and let me tell you, 45 degrees is so cold (especially when we don’t have heat in our house or warm running water). But we are excited about our time here and getting to see how God is working in El Alto.
Our ministry this month is working at rehab facility for teenage girls and boys who were involved in some kind of addictive behavior, from cocaine to marijuana to prostitution to selling drugs to alcohol. It is actually very similar to a facility that both Andy and I worked at while we were living in Spokane, so it has been interesting comparing the two. The main difference is that they only speak Spanish and my Spanish is very very rusty! However, it has been great to be totally immersed so that I can’t cheat with English. Andy is absolutely killing it with his Spanish and is translating for everyone when we don’t understand.
Half of our team is working at the girls house and Andy, Jack, and I are working at the boys home. In the mornings we spend time doing work around the different houses, just trying to organize and fix things that the staff just doesn’t have enough time to do. Andy is working on rebuilding a roof at the girls home that covers their laundry room and I am sanding and staining doors for their bathroom stalls. Sometimes we really love doing work like this because we are able to use our hands and leave a place better than we found it.
In the afternoons we eat lunch with the boys and then just spend time hanging out with them. We play basketball, make bracelets that they sell, play chess, make up rap songs, play ninja, and try and communicate with them. They are so patient and great at trying to teach me more Spanish and I agreed to teach them English in return. We also get to help them with their chores around the house and it is almost comical how we hand motion everything in communication.
These boys have had such hard lives. Some of which they have brought on themselves and some that was forced on them. I can’t even imagine some of the things they have going through, but I love that because of God’s great love we are able to meet them where they are at and just shower them with His love. He can cross language barriers, cultural barriers, and emotional barriers. All we have to do is show up each day to laugh and play and love them. Even though we are 8 months into this journey and some days I’m just exhausted and miss home, I am so thankful for where I am at. I can’t believe that God chose me to see Him work all over the world and share His freedom and love to His children. What a blessing!
Due to the nature of the kids we are working with, we are unable to post any pictures of them or where they live. Their safety is the most important thing and there are people who are looking for them to pay debts or bring them back into a bad lifestyle. So since I can’t share pictures of them, I’ll share some of the city and things we’ve seen in Bolivia!
