March Madness pt 1
Welcome to Bolivia!
Landed in La Paz, Bolivia roughly 12,000 ft in elevation.
No malaria & no mosquitos! Thank – you – God
Per our information/ministry sheet for the month we will possibly participating in: discipleship, bible study at the military outpost, & sharing the gospel with college/high school/ jr high students.
This will be our first month doing ministry without partnering with another team.
Well… that was the initial plan.
A few days before leaving The Dominican I received an update that our hosts in Llica, were going to be out of town during Carnival which is when we arrive. We were going to travel with another team anyway so we asked if their host could accommodate us. They said yes, we will travel 12 hours by bus from La Paz to Uyuni with team “Hijas del Rey”. Uyuni is out in the dessert and brings in a number of tourists to see the salt flats.
So we are in Uyuni and things are going well. Our new host accommodates both teams very well.
3 bedrooms – majority of the 11 women had a bed and us men received sleeping pads.
A few days in Uyuni people from both teams starting getting sick and fast. Seemed by the 2’s – whether it was: altitude sickness, food not agreeing with their stomach…etc.
Some received medical attention for preventative care. Myself along with about 3 others were the only ones well. I’m thankful for NOT being sick but it is very unfortunate when your family around you is.
As a result of so many being ill we had to extend our stay in Uyuni.
Our ministry site is in Llica, which is about 3 hours away by bus. If it rains while we travel over the salt flats it can take up to 10 hours. As a result, we have to plan to bring extra food and water just in case it rains. #madness
I did not expect so many people getting sick, travel times having the potential to quadruple, and for our hosts to leave town when we arrived.
BUT, I told myself a long time ago to be ok with leaving EVERYTHING in God’s hands. So regardless where we end up and how long it takes to arrive we will be in His hands.
Once again – This is what I signed up for, prayed about, and asked my friends and family to help make this happen financially.
I too am getting stretched by all the above.
But this is what helps me grow if I allow it.
Pray – plan – LOVE– & – boil the water.
LOVE – RAF
