In Lagunillias, Bolivia, our host serves a yummy yet simple breakfast of fresh bread, jam, coffee, and tea before we set out for our ministry for the day.
That’s an early start, but on the morning of my birthday, my alarm sang to me at 5:30am. God called me out onto the roof to soak in his presence, enjoy the quiet morning, and watch the sun rise and wake up the Andes mountains to my east. Before I left on the Race, my family and friends sent me with cards marked “OPEN ONLY ON MARCH 7TH!” And so I sat, savoring every word of love sent from home. I smiled with joy, as little treasures, verses, and confetti spilled out of the cards, and so thousands of miles from home, I felt so loved.
After breakfast, my team and I along with a medical missions team from Chicago hopped into the bed of a large delivery truck and journeyed 20 or so kilometers to a rural village. The Andes mountains looked down on us from behind, seemingly to push us forward through fields of corn to our destination about an hour drive along a rocky, crater filled dirt road.
Upon arrival, the medical team immediately set up their make shift clinic, as Alyssa, Emily, Nancy, and I followed our ministry host Phil further down the road to visit homes, invite people to the clinic, pray with families, and share the gospel.
Walking toward the first home, I see two or three structures made of hand made adobe bricks, large branches, and straw. Each structure is clearly distinguished as various living spaces, one for sleep, another for cooking, and another canopy for living. As we walked closer, Phil greets the family and immediately they welcome us, pulling out their best chairs and inviting us to sit and visit. The fact that I only understand every 5 to 10 words spoken doesn’t really matter because smiles, hugs, and kisses on the cheek are the universal language of love.
We take a break for lunch, but as soon as we’re ready to start the afternoon shift at the clinic, the heavens open up and the scorching sand is soothed by the daily afternoon rainstorm. Sure enough, the storm washes away our dusty dirt road, and leaves behind a muddy river flowing past our feet. Thoughts of an afternoon clinic linger in our minds, but instead we pack up and hike a muddy mile towards the truck waiting for us where the road was more drivable.
Once we’re back in Lagunillas, it’s time for dinner. By this point, I’m clean and dressed in my “fanciest World Race outfit”. That only seems appropriate for my birthday dinner! We’re about to leave for the evening church service, and I look up. Pastora Aleida walks to our table with the most beautiful birthday cake covered in whip cream frosting and M&M’s! I don’t even like cake that much, but let me tell you this cake tasted AMAZING. Not too sweet, yellow cake, with peaches between the layers, and whip cream. YUMMY!
After all that, I’m completely sure my birthday celebration is over. But my teammates still have a surprise in store for me. As I walk into their room for Team Time, all of the lights are off. “Well, that’s strange,” I thought to myself. I walk in, and the girls shout, “SURPRISE!” All around me I see the room covered in balloons, a hand made banner on the wall with streamers, sweet notes of birthday love and encouragement, a 2 liter of coke, and some suckers. Spending the last hour of my birthday with my girls ended my 32nd birthday with perfection!
A day in the hot sun, hiking along muddy roads, and a celebrating in a stuffy hostel room may not seem impressive or glamorous. However, I wouldn’t trade the day for a thousand fancy dinners or nights out on the town. I felt God’s love through the notes from my family, in the beauty of the Bolivian countryside, through the hugs of sweet Bolivian babies, as I ministered to the people in the rural village, and as my team showered me with words of encouragement. Simple and Sweet. A birthday I will always remember.
Here’s to another year as I continue to grow in God’s wisdom and grace.
Please continue to pray for my team. We will remain in Lagunillas for the next week or so. As we visit the rural communities pray that God gives us boldness and courage to share His word, and teach the Bolivians we meet about the love of Christ. Pray for safety as we travel and that we follow where the Holy Spirit leads us.
Love, Love, Love
Kate
