Eyes Opened

This will be my last blog update while I am in Bolivia. This has truly been a wonderful experience and I am so lucky that the Lord chose me to serve Him in Bolivia. I have met some amazing people, and developed very special and unique friendships. I have had so many awesome opportunities over the past 6 weeks. I guess I will tell you about my last few days here in Bolivia.

Our Internet went down over the weekend so I was unable to really talk much about my week. I had a very interesting day last Friday. I went to English camp with the girls from Casa de Alegria, which is the girls home. I was told upon arrival that the orphanage would be closing that afternoon. Apparently there were money issues and the girls were having to sell purses and grow their own food in order to make ends meet. The government was contacted and the home closed. It was hard to see some of the girls so upset, yet we were in such a great place to be encouraging. The whole week we had been teaching the girls about the attributes of God and how He is always there for you. The day before I had actually shared my testimony with them, which is centered around a time in my life where there was much change. I talked about how I realized during that time that I could always count on Christ to be there for me even when no one else was. I had no idea that the next day these girls would be going through something very similar but 10x harder.

Through that experience at English camp, I was able to share with the girls how God is love. How He will never leave or desert you. Even if you are alone and scared, you will always have a friend to talk to. My prayer for these girls is that they will see, believe, and understand that concept over the next few weeks as they are relocated to different places around the city. Please keep them in your prayers, as you know these girls are a family and it will be very difficult to be separated.

The weekend was very similar to the others. I went to kid washing, and to church. The coolest experience on Saturday was the opportunity to give a cold little girl a new coat. It is the coldest month of the year here in Bolivia so those who live on the streets are pretty much freezing every night. The smile on her face as we put her new coat on was precious. I left the rest of the donated coats with the missionaries who run the street kid washing organization. They will be giving them out to those who are in need over the next week or so.

On Monday I went back to the big hospital. Since I had been to the burn unit 2 times, I decided to go hang out with the malnourished babies. It was so pitiful to see a 1 year old baby who looked like she was 4 months old. I had the opportunity to hold her for a few hours, feed her, and cuddle her. I also gave her one of my last dresses, which all of the nurses LOVED. I was also able to give a scared little girl a dress that I had been saving for an occasion much like hers. She was in the hospital and scared to death. Her mom was having to leave and she was crying. I decided that was the perfect time to brighten up her day. It was a wonderful and very unique experience. Once again, after seeing those who live with so little, I am reminded of how much I have every day.

My last day here at Hospital of Hope was spent at my favorite place in the whole country, Casa de Amor 1 (baby orphanage). I was so thankful to hold those children one last time and tell them bye. It has been amazing to see these children grow and change over the past month and a half. I have no doubt that they are very well cared for and loved. I will not lie, it broke my heart to hand little Arminda (the baby I have become attached to) to another volunteer. Please pray that despite her abusive past, that she will continue to develop on schedule and not be handicapped because of poor parenting.

God has really worked in my life and changed me through my time here. I am more certain of who I am and what I want to do with my life. I believe that God has called me to love on the forgotten children of this world, maybe even by starting and orphanage of my own someday. He has allowed me to serve those who are forgotten and overlooked by the government or even their families. He has really opened my eyes and changed my heart, and for that I am so thankful. Thank you all so very much for your prayer and support. It means so much to me. Please pray for safe travels for myself and team. Pray that this experience will not be forgotten and that God will continue to break my heart for the lost people in our world.

Anna

Stickers Make Everything Better

A post like this is a bit hard to begin. Mostly because the content is unlike anything I have ever written about before. Today, I went to the pediatric burn unit at the government hospital. Some of you know me well enough to know that when it comes to blood and guts I have no problem. You may also know that burns are my "medical weakness." I have NEVER had the stomach to tolerate the sever disfiguring burns. The site often makes me almost gag. So as you would imagine when given two options (malnourished baby unit, or childrens burn unit) I selected the babies in a split second.

Today was the big day, the opportunity to hang out with kids in the hospital (which is what I have been wanting to do since I got here). We rode all the way across the city and finally arrived at the hospital. Something was different though, I felt like the baby unit was not where I was being called. A bit nervous, I agreed to go on a tour of the burn unit. Just so you know the people at the hospital warned that this unit took at "strong stomach." As we walked through the door my heart broke instantly. Children were burned...BADLY. In some cases their faces were almost burned off. Their bodies were wrapped in gauze to keep from getting infected. Some were tied to the beds to keep them from touching their skin. I have NEVER in my life seen anything like this. I do not even want to go into some of the details with you.

This is where I belonged, no doubt about it. I prayed that God would help me because I was already feeling a bit overwhelmed. I walked room to room, looking for a child to love on. I didn't have to walk far before I heard one of the most pitiful cries I have ever heard. I walked into a room where I saw a little boy laying with his 2 little legs tied to opposite sides of the bed, rapped in gauze up to his chest. Across the room a small girl laying (tied) on her belly wrapped neck to toe in gauze all that was exposed was her terribly burned hind end. I walked over to the crib where little Edson laid whimpering and crying out for his "mama." I touched his hand and he grabbed on to my finger for dear life, bawling and lifting up his arms for me to hold him. My heart sank when I realized his burns were too severe for me to lift him.

The next 15 minutes were some of the most heart breaking and difficult moments of my entire trip. I tried and tried everything I knew to help my little friend calm down. The nurse came over to try to feed him, he would not take it. I pulled out colored pencils and paper for him to color, he would not take them. So I began to draw and he calmed down for about 20 seconds as he watched me sketch a puppy dog. The calm didn't last long he continued to cry and struggle in his bed. Then I had one of the best ideas I have had in awhile. I reached into my backpack and pulled out a little sheet of balloon stickers that my grandma had secretly packed into my suitcase for the children in the hospital. His eyes widened as I peeled one off the page and handed it to him. The next 30 minutes were filled with smiles, stickers, and coloring. Several doctors and nurses watched smiling through the window as we played together.

When the nurse came and put Edson into a wheelchair to take him out he whimpered because I was leaving. I knew that he needed to spend some time getting his medicine and maybe going to PT, so I decided to hang up our picture at the end of his bed and go find another scared child to play with. Once again it didn't take long to find my next friends. A little baby girl was sitting, bobbing up and down, and giggling in her bed with her little arm tied up to be elevated. I played with her for about 5 minutes and gave her a little bow for her hair. She, however, was not who I went to be with. A child laid across the room in a bed whimpering and crying. Her face disfigured in a terrible way. Her head was shaved and she looked absolutely terrified. This is the type of burn that I cannot handle. The look of it would have usually made me vomit, but I believe that God wanted me there and He did something to make sure that I could handle it.

I walked to her bed and began to talk to her. No words, no nods, nothing. I tried everything I knew even pulling out the small Mickey Mouse I had in my backpack. I laid him beside her in the bed and told her that he was her new friend. I knew she like him but she was still scared.

Once again I pulled out my paper and a sheet of butterfly stickers (from grandma). It was INSTANT joy. Her face lit up and a smile crossed her face. She giggled as we stuck them to the paper. We played for about 10 minutes before it was time to leave. I wrote her a little note on our paper that says "Emili is beautiful, like a butterfly." I hung it on the end of her bed, tucked Mickey in beside her and left.

Today, I learned something that I have known for a long time. When God calls you to something he will fully equip you to handle it. Today not only did I overcome my weakness through Christ, but I also was able to comfort 2 terrified children. I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend my morning with these wonderful children. Please pray for my team members as we continue to work with these kids throughout the week. Pray that we will be able to love them fully and that they will see Christ in us. Thanks so much for reading!

Anna

Saved Lives and Beautiful Bows

We finished up clinics and VBS at the School last Saturday morning. It was overall a very wonderful and unique experience. I was blessed with the opportunity to work along side my new friend, Sarah (from UF) performing check-ups on some of the children. She just graduated from nursing school and enjoyed teaching me what she knew. We met many children with parasites and other problems that would rarely be seen in the states. As great as check-ups were the highlight of my week was on Friday afternoon.

As I have told you before doing VBS in the setting we were in was highly stressful. We were unable to gain much attention from the children because in their eyes they were at recess. However that Friday we had the pleasure of working with Andrea, the translator. Kevin and I show her what we had planned for VBS and she took it and ran with it. She held the children's attentions for a rather decent amount of time. She finished her story by presenting the gospel of Christ's love and grace to a group of 6 children who readily accepted Christ. She lead them in a prayer to make Christ "Lord of their lives." It was such a cool thing to see, and it made all the planning worth it.

The joy continued into the weekend after a FANTASTIC Friday night of team building. The Lord has given us one of the best and most awesome missions teams imaginable. I am sad that I only have a week or so left to serve with them. There are 26 of us all together and all of us want to serve and reach out to the lost. Saturday morning we finished up the clinic and then split into 2 groups. Kevin and myself lead up the "kid washing group." I decided to take about 40 or so donated hair bows and ribbons along with me. The little girls flocked around sitting in our laps as we brushed their hair and allowed them to pick a hair clip. The joy and excitement in their little faces for sure made my whole day. All I think about is how special and beautiful each of these girls must feel as the stand up and float around showing off their little bows to everyone around. Such small acts of love go such a long way for these little children.

Our Saturday ended with a spontaneous time of praise and worship back at the house. All 26 of us piled into a small room with 2 guitars and a violin. In total we spent about 1 or 2 hours worshiping together. It was prob. one of the prettiest and most special "worship services" I have ever been to. It was not forced or planned. No one came because they felt pressured into it. It was true worship within a body of believers, praising God for who He is, and the opportunities He has given us. Needless to say I LOVE my team and the opportunities that I have been given here in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

This next week is an assortment of different things. I will be working at "English Camp" with the girls from Casa de Alegria, in the major government hospital with malnourished children, and in the orphanage for babies. My team will be spread out serving all over the city with different ministries. Please pray that we will keep our focus on Christ, and showing His love to the people of Bolivia through all of our actions.

Anna

Tragedy in Vinto, Bolivia

The past few days have been some of the most shocking and saddening days I have spent here in Bolivia. It all began on Tuesday night, but I didn't really realize it. I had been in the library talking to friends when I heard the ambulance leave and eventually return. I walked downstairs to return to the guest house when I noticed the E.R was full. That is a bit unusual for a Tuesday evening in Bolivia. I noticed there were several children in the picture. I decided not to bother the doctors and nurses because they were obviously extremely busy. I went back to the house and went about my own business.

The next morning we walked to the hospital to get the doctors who were going with us the the school for the VBS clinic. When we reached the front doors I saw a very unusual scene. There were about 30 adults in front of the hospital who appeared to be crying and very frazzled. I found out there was a TERRIBLE wreck on Tuesday night. Apparently 17 people (mostly children) were in a taxi type car on the way back from a school function. The driver was drunk and lost control and flipped the car down into a "cliff." Eight people were killed in the accident several children, and several parents. The rest of the children were badly injured and brought to the hospital.

The second I heard the story my heart shattered. I watched as the nurses took bags of clothing in red bags to the people standing outside. The parents were unable to go into the hospital because of the amount of trauma that had occurred. The children looked frazzled and scared. I of course was unable to go back and talk to them because of the amount of chaos surround the hospital. I did however have to opportunity to talk to a man by the name of Marti. I noticed him immediately and felt like the Lord was telling me to talk to him. He had tears in his eyes and was trying to hide them. In Bolivia (from my experience) it is very rare to see people cry, especially men. He told me that his daughter, Christina had been in the accident and was in the hospital. He told me how many of the others died and how lucky he was. I of course was unable to talk to him much more than that, he was very determined to talk to the nurses.

I wanted to tell you this story to ask for your prayers. There are many families who are devastated here in Vinto. I am planning on hanging out with these kids next week (if they are here and not transferred). Pray for the families, the children, and the people who are caring for them. Pray for open doors to talk to those who have been devastated by this accident. Pray that many will see Christ through this experience.

Today was also a very eye opening experience. A few of us went this morning to help out at the baby orphanage. The ladies who work there were telling Shelly and I some of the stories of how these children ended up in the orphanage. My heart sank as I listened to what these kids have lived through. I already told you the story of Arminda, whose legs were broken by her mother and skull cracked by her father. Sadly she is not the only one who has lived through tragedy. The 3 or 4 month old little boy that we had been caring for has apparently been raped by a grown man I had terrible complications. One child had been abandoned on the stairs of a church, and another taken from his alcoholic parents who were living on the street. His father is now in prison.

I suppose my point in telling you guys all this is just to remind you how lucky we really are. In America we have laws that prevent 17 people being in one car. They do their best to stop drunk driving. We have a police system that is not corrupt. We are so blessed to live the way we do. There are so many people suffering every day from tragedy I could never even imagine. Perhaps the saddest part to me is realizing that abuse, neglect, and rape do not just happen in the 3rd world, they happen to children even in our own backyards. I guess for me it took seeing tragedy, or holding the precious children who have been victims of things unimaginable to see the corruption in our world.

There is always hope in these situations. We have a God who loves us and sends people to minister to the broken hearted. He has places like hospitals of hope all over the world with men like pastor Nester Hugo to talk to those who are hurting. He sends people from all over the world to pray and care for the broken. He provides peace, comfort, and care through His people to reach those who are lost. Please pray for Bolivia, for the parents and families who have lost those they love. Pray for the children at Casa de Amor and for those who provide constant care for them. Pray for a bright future, with parents who will love them, not abuse them. Finally, pray for those who are using their lives to show love to the lost.

Anna

-ps I am sorry for any error in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. I have very little time to write these blogs. I often times just sit down and type as fast as I can so I don't loose internet connection.

Silly Goose

It has been several days since I last updated. The major reason for this is because the internet has been completely gone. So I will kinda catch you up on the major events since last post. On Friday we went to Casa de Amor 2, which is the house for kids between about 4 and 8 or so. I was excited because I was finally able to be a bit more "in my element."

I got to help with homework and tutoring type stuff. Sherlynn is about 5 or 6 years old and is learning her number. I sat with she and Saraita who is about 7 and helped them with their homework. Sherlynn has a lot of trouble remember how to draw and write the numbers she has been learning. I seriously think we sat at the table for over and hour practicing. She loved having me help her by guiding her hand and making dots for her to connect (which is what the tutor told me to do). She was so positive and had such a great attitude. However around the 45 minute mark she was getting a little tired. We still had half a page to go still. I was glad I had waited up till that point to tell her that I had a gift for her. I told her "tengo un regalo por tu...despues terminas tu tarea". That means "I have a gift for you..after you finish your homework." The look on her little face was priceless when she exclaimed "FOR ME??". Sure enough she finished her homework and I took she and the other little girls upstairs to pick out dresses. They LOVED them. They twirled around and giggled and hugged me once they put them on. I would say that Friday was a smashing hit!

On Saturday we went to hike at a local park. It was really fun, much better than my last hiking experience. After the hike we went to the city for kid washing. I decided to take a different job this week. Rather than sitting in the tent with clothes, I took dresses and shirts for the older kids who are often overlooked because we dont have clothes for them. I was able to hand out several more dresses and kevin handed out shirts to the older guys. They once again really enjoyed them and I like being able to give them something new that belonged to them. Sunday was a rather realxed day, which is always needed.

Today, we started our clinics and VBS at the local school. Things didn't go exactly as I had planned, but that is ok. Basically the school has 600 kids. We do checkups on them class by class. So as the other children are waiting we decided to do a VBS type event. We selected the topic of grace because of the catholic belief system here. Well the kids are a lot more excited and wild than anticipated. We did a bit of a story but beacuse they were so rowdy we decided we needed to play a game. Kevin, myself and Leta decided to teach them "pato, pato, gonzo". They LOVED it. I must say that after about 30 minutes of chasing children around because you are a "funny goose" is a blast...but also exhausting. With each class we had a new and different experience.

The second class that came in was full of girls who has a crazy obsession with my hair. I kid you not the literally flocked around me playing with my hair, running their fingers through it and telling me how beautiful it was. I guess they had never seen blonde hair before. We continued playing duck, duck, goose and hanging out with the kids. We even had a small crowd gather around and sing songs with us. Kevin and I would sing the spanish version, then teach it to them in english. We sang "head, shoulders, knees and toes" in spanish then taught them in english. It was so fun and the kids loved us and enjoyed sitting with us and talking.

The last group was the most successful. We actually got through the whole lesson before the kids wanted to play a game. We talked about the man being lowered through the roof and how Jesus healed him, because of his faith in Him. We then talked about how the cross was the biggest gift of grace and how grace is not something you work for but a free gift. I feel like it went well given the situation. I know that we have made an impact on that school and I look forward to continuing to do so over the next few days.

Please pray that God will really work in these kids hearts and that they will have the ability to listen to what we have to say to them. Also pray that the language barrier will continue to be broken down and for continued strength and love for us. I expect great things to come from this VBS and really appreciate your prayers.

Anna

The jump-roping gringo

So if you read my last post you would know that I did not spend my time in the hospital like a usually do. On Monday I went to a school with a few of the other girls to put floride on kids teeth. Let me tell ya, there is nothing more awkward that trying to talk to teenagers in another language before essentially cleaning their teeth. I was a little discouraged by kid 4 or 5 and decided just to kinda stop trying to talk to them. Lame I know. Well apparently my attempts were not completely terrible. A few girls came up to me with a jump rope and wanted me to come play with them. The image of swinging a jump-rope with another girl while a small child jumped in the middle was the first image that crossed my mind. I smiled and accepted the offer.

We reached the bottom of the stairs to a large open play area. I handed the other handle of the jump-rope to my Bolivia friend. She smiled and handed it back and told me that they wanted ME to do it. I sheepishly smiled and took the rope from her hand. Let me just tell you the last time I can remember jump-roping was about ohhh 10 years ago. Before I had even finished my first attempt I had about 5 kids surrounding me. I luckily passed to rope to another girl in attempt to catch my breath. I was hoping that it would be passed around the group so I could have a 5 minute break. That however was not the case. Within about 15 seconds the rope was back in my hand and about 10 more children gathered around. Before all was said and done I had about 20 bolivian children gathered around me to watch ME jump-rope. I suppose they found it humorous. All of that to say my time at the school was rather enjoyable.

Tuesday rolled around and since Rachel and I were not on rotation at the hospital we decided that we would try and hang out with some of the patients in the hospital. We walked into the hospital room where about 5 ladies were staying. Before we could even introduce ourselves a lady in one of the beds began to talk quite rapidly. I felt foolish because I could not understand a single word coming from her mouth. I looked over a Rachel who was calm and collected, smiling and nodding as if she understood everything. About 3 minutes later I looked at Rachel and asked what she had said. I felt a smidgin better when I realized Rachel was lost as well. Long story short the lady spoke Quetchua, one of the tribal type languages spoken here. We decided to try bed 2...the exact same situation occurred there as well. The others in the room were sleeping, or on the phone.

We walked out to the waiting room and there I noticed the large table with paper for kids to color. The problem was the lack of materials to color with. We decided to go back to the house and find some crayons or markers. We were so excited and on the way back to the hospital crayons and coloring sheets in hand. We arrived back at the table and began to set up. To our excitement we noticed a few excited faces eyeing the new station. We were about to invite kids to join when the pastor walked in and decided to preach in the waiting room. We sat for close to an hour and the pastor presented the gospel to the patients. It actually ended up going well. A few people purchased some bible type material before they left. It was a really cool experience. Finally the pastor noticed what exactly had happened. He then told the children that there was an area for them to color. We went and hung out with some of the children and the pastor came and talked to us some. He told us many of the children will come in wanting to color, but they dont ever have crayons. Rachel and I decided that next time we have the opportunity we are gonna by some crayons for the kids to take home with them. We are also hopefully gonna leave some at the hospital along with some Jesus coloring sheets for the kids to have while they wait. Although the morning didn't go as planned it was def. a huge success.

That afternoon Kevin and I went back to the hospital to hang out with Pastor Nester Hugo who is 56 years old. He is pretty much one of the kindest and funniest men I have ever met. One of the PTs here in the hospital also joined us. We talked a bit about his family and then we each shared a prayer request. Then he had the PT (physical therapist) pray in Spanish for my request. Then he asked kevin to pray in English for his. It was a way cool experience. We are going back on Thursday as well. We are helping him with his English, and he is helping us with our Spanish. So that has been a really great experience here. I can def. say that God is doing some serious stuff here through Pastor Hugo and I am excited to be part of it :)

I suppose I shall fill you in on what is going on today. We went this morning to the girls orphanage and painted their nails and continued to build relationships with them. We also had a devotional and prayed the Lord's Prayer with them (in spanish). We finished the morning by playing a game of uno with them. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoy my time at Casa de Alegria. This afternoon we will be heading to Casa de Amor 1, which is the baby orphanage. It is prob. one of my favorite places to go so I am excited. I guess I will update yall on all of that at another time.

Be looking out for new post because in the next week we will start to plan our VBS. Pray for good ideas, and opportunities to share the gospel with the children from the community. Also pray that we will be able to work with other orphanages and ministries that we are contacting. Thanks for reading, I will be posting new picture to facebook in the next few days!

Hasta Luego

Anna

New Opportunities...Coming Soon!

The past few days have been pretty relaxed here in Bolivia. We actually got to sleep in for the first time this whole trip on Saturday. It actually was perfect timing. If you read the last post you would have seen that I ate cheese sticks for lunch. Well never again will I be eating Bolivian cheese filled anything. Thankfully I didn't get super sick, only nauseous....for about 12 hours. So needless to say I slept a very very long time...12 hours actually.

On Saturday the guys put up a new electrical wire to the house to help us get more hot water and power to the house. Then we all went to La Cancha, which is pretty much a giant market in Coachabamba. We spent a few hours there shopping around and exploring the city. After a few hours we headed down to my favorite activity which you should know by now is "kid washing." I once again got the honor of helping clothe little children, and distributing the dresses and clothing that were donated. After we finish every week, I look at what I have left over and try to find people who could use it. This particular week I had a few pairs of gloves and a hat.

I walked over to a section of little girls getting their nails painted to take a picture of a little girl in a donated dress. While standing there I noticed a girl about 14...15 maybe who appeared to be her sister or friend. I saw that she was wearing older clothes and looked a bit down. So I pulled out a pair of striped gloves that I had left over. I took them over to her and gave them to her. She looked like she was about to fall to the ground. She ran over and hugged me, thanking me over and over again. I have no idea why such a small action meant so much to her, but it definitely made my day to see such joy over such a small gift. I also gave out a few more small things, including a pair of shorts to a little baby boy with no pants. His mother was also very thankful. I can honestly say it is in the moments where I see that something so small has made a difference that I know I am in the right place.

Today we went to a bilingual church which was really cool. We sang in English and Spanish and the sermon was translated into both languages. I really really enjoyed the experience. Then we went shopping as a team. If it helps you understand how different Bolivia is, we actually split into 3 teams to shop. We all went to different shops and stores to get what we need. Here in Bolivia there is no such thing as walmart ;). After shopping and a bit of down time we had a big team meeting, which made me VERY happy.

Since our old volunteer coordinator left, a new lady has come in. Her name is Leta, and she is really cool. She has gone above and beyond making sure we all get to do things that interest us. I am excited to say that in a few weeks I will have the opportunity to work in an HIV orphanage, plan a VBS, help give check ups at 2 local orphanages and work in a giant hospital with kids. O and we are also now looking for more organizations to work with street kids. So I am so excited that I will finally get to do more with children, especially orphans and street kids. Oh and we are also gonna have at least 1 night a week where we have "Spanish lessons."So I thought I would let you guys in on all the new and exciting changes. So be looking out for some REALLY exciting posts in the near future.

As for the next few days I will be doing a few different things. Tomorrow I will go with some other to a church to put floride on kids teeth. Then on Tuesday, instead of shadowing at the hospital Rachel and I are gonna go hang out with the patients. I have wanted to do this for awhile and now that Rachel and I can go together I think we will be more successful. I really am starting to see that it really is the little things that make the biggest differences especially to people who are often poor, overlooked, and even sick.

Thanks so much for reading! If you have any questions feel free to ask :).

Anna