I cannot believe it has already been 10 days that I have been in Bolivia! It is amazing how much God is already changing my heart and mind, thus changing my life forever! I truly cannot wait to see what He does over the course of this 11 month journey! This blog is going to be picture heavy because I believe the pictures will portray more than my words, and pictures are more fun, too! I hope you enjoy viewing my journey so far! Please keep praying for me, my team and squad, we can feel them all! Every single day I feel more and more grateful and blessed that God has this journey be a part of my life story! I know it will change the trajectory of my life forever! Thank you for your interest in what God is doing in and through me this year!

This is what 43 Americans look like in customs in La Paz, Bolivia at 6 a.m. after their 8 hr flight from Miami, Fl. Sleep deprived and feeling the altitude difference from sea level in Miami to 14,000 ft in La Paz, Bolivia. A few people felt nauseous and short of breath and some required medical attention, oxygen in particular, for days after arriving. I am so thankful I felt no altitude sickness other than a minor headache on and off for a couple of days.

Our view from our Hostel in La Paz, Bolivia where we spent the first 2 days in Bolivia. This picture does no justice for the beauty of this mountain, filled with homes and buildings. 

Outside of our Hostel.

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Our room, where all 14 of us slept. My team, Fearless Laughter is paired with Team Rak Chazak (Hebrew for The Victorious One) for this first month of ministry and we have had the best time together, we can’t imagine being two separate teams in the future! 

The view from our Hostel at night. Amazing! 

The next day we were able to explore La Paz before heading to Uyuni on a 12 hour overnight (bumpy and MISERABLE) bus ride to Uyuni, where we will spend the rest of the month! This is a picture from a sky lift we took over La Paz up to the mountain and town of El Alto. 

The view from El Alto over La Paz. Elevation 14,000 ft.

My first meal in La Paz. Chicken, Plantains and Fries. The smells of meat here in Bolivia has kind of freaked me out so I barely touched this chicken and very rarely eaten meat since. My diet is very fruit, veggie, dairy, grain rich… meat, not so much. 

The street our Hostel was on in La Paz.

 

Kaysea playing her ukelele while Christina coaches me on guitar while sitting outside our Hostel. I learned 4 chords this day! 

 

We made it to Uyuni! This is the view from our casa this month. Uyuni is a desert and it is Winter here! When we arrived it was 12 degrees F! Ah! I culture shocked in so many ways! The dirtiness, the freezing temps, without the comforts of heat or plumbing! 

 

he good thing about living in a desert during Winter (dry season) is that it NEVER rains… it is THIS beautiful every day! 

 

Our casa.

 

Our bathroom. An outhouse. We use buckets of water to flush after use because there is no plumbing. 

 

The pets of our casa, we named them Hank and Arleen. 

When 5 girls share a room and live out of backpacks…  this is what life looks like. We have no heat and the lows are in the 10s at night so we sleep close in our sleeping bags and heavy blankets provided by our sweet hosts.  

 

What laundry looks like… hand washing and hanging to dry!

 

Our stove we cook meals on and boil water for coffee, tea and washing dishes!  

 

 

The center of Uyuni. It takes us 15-20 minutes to walk here for everything… to shower, to buy food, wifi, the market, our ministry, church. 
 
Internet here is very spotty and we can only get on for minutes at a time and it is much slower than we are used to in the States. So, I am posting this blog separately than my blog about ministry because it was too large to post together. I just wanted y’all to see a glimpse into life here in Uyuni. I will be posting my blog about ministry on Friday when I will have extended time to be patient with Internet to allow the blog to post. 
 
This week has felt like a month because we are so busy! But I have loved every minute of it, even in this freezing weather, which is NOT this Southern girl’s strong suit! It is amazing how God has been faithful and provided our needs, whether it be physical, spiritual, emotional or relational. He is SO good and LOVES us so much! I feel peace I have never felt before, even in hard conditions and without comforts of home, and I truly believe it is because I am in God’s will for my live. I truly believe when we obey His calling on our heart that He is so faithful.   
 
Look out for my next blog on Friday, telling all about what our ministry looks like this month and all we are doing for the people and kids in Uyuni. Keep praying and thinking of us please because there is power in prayer! God is doing so much through our lives already and I can’t wait to share it all with you! I miss all my family and friends so much but I know I will be a better person, daughter, sister, friend, etc after this year! I am already more appreciate for the little things in life, more than I have ever been! I can’t express my gratitude for all your thoughts and prayers so far! I love y’all so much! XOXOXO