Today is one of our last days at home in Monte Blanco. It’s so strange that in just a few days we’ll be traveling away from these people who have become as big a part of our team as all of us are. They’ve been cooking for us, hanging out with us, and amusing us with some very choice phrases in English like, “You’re beautiful”, “You don’t know me”, “I am handsome”, and “Please don’t go”. We have volleyball tournaments, play hide and seek, and have English-Spanish sing-offs. They’re a part of our family, just as much as everyone on the team. Our team is such a cohesive unit by now. Everyone is so important and valued, and I can’t imagine our team without any one of us. We have inside jokes and spend our time laughing and taking too long to quiet down when we’re supposed to be practicing a skit or debriefing. Really, you wouldn’t believe how funny it is to be a wall of Jericho or a boat with these thirteen people around. It’s amazing to see how well God orchestrated this trip from the staff to our team to our VBS.
So far we have done three VBS’s and each has been so much fun and a great success. Our numbers have varied from 120 to so few that we walked up and down the streets asking for children to participate. It’s humbling to see how readily kids here respond to just the little time and love a couple of gringos are willing to give them. Despite language barriers, each of us has had one kid to a gaggle of children trailing our every move and trying to get their hands in ours as often as possible. Most of these children wore the same clothing every day and had on flip-flops in extremely cold weather. I’m so glad we were able to spend time with them and maybe brighten a few of their days as well as share a message of God’s love. Just spending time with these kids and seeing our surroundings has been such a learning experience for me. Our lives in America are not normal. Red brick two story houses decked out with modern amenities are not normal. We’re so blessed. It’s absurd. It’s been such a blessing to step outside the bubble of American provision and taste a dose of third-world reality. It’s convicting. I just hope I never forget the perspective I’ve gained here. This whole time in Bolivia has been wonderful and the people here, in the words of so many a Bolivian, “are forever written on my heart.“
This is one of the more attractive animals that we’ve seen during our time here.
During one of our play days at Manos de Amor, Sara found herself a friend.
After an afternoon with Bolivians on the soccer field, Josh collapsed next to his fan club.
Steph has been quite popular with all of the little kids at VBS. We’ve all enjoyed watching her be a human jungle gym.
