- Suitcases
- Children
- Stairs
- Puppies
- a banana peel. Literally.
- Stairs
- Curbs at a park
- Sand divets
- The Platform at Church
- Stairs =)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Worth the Wait!
Hola mis queridos hermanos y hermanas!
I have been in Bolivia since 2pm on Friday, after a night of plane delays (what was an 11pm departure became a 5am departure), a just-in-time connection, and a 45 minute bus ride (which took an hour due to a main road blockade). Needless to say, we were all exhausted! But the moment the gates to the BLC opened, I got a burst of energy I could have lived off of for days.
There was one pequeno out in front who spotted us, then raced the bus around the corner to its parking spot, alerting the rest of the boys that we had (finally) arrived. When the team and I got off the bus, the kids quickly jumped from person to person, checking out the new gringos in town.
Carlos - a mediano who came into the BLC years ago without knowledge about the use of silverware (Mom and Dad-- do we have any cousins in Bolivia?)- was the first one who spotted me. He came up and embraced me, and then I knew I was back as he pointed out to the field where the cows were grazing, saying, "Amanda, la vaca gorda!", which was their affectionate and endearing name for me. There is a cow named Amanda now, and we've been confused by the boys multiple times as sisters. =) It was then that I realized that I am exactly where I am supposed to be this month.
The first night we got in we got to spend a few hours just hanging out with the boyus, and later we got to read/play cards with the medianos, and have tickle time with the pequenos. I felt in my element again. Then today we went to the really neat park all day. I got to shoot some hoops with some of my favorite grandes, and then spectate a Bolivian Women's Basketball league! It was quite interesting-- they have a pretty lenient travel violation rule =)
The afternoon was spent on what the boys call a double-wide slide, but all others call a half-pipe. We spent hours sliding down the half pipe in groups, kicking balls and hula hoops, and creating all sorts of other competitions. It was a blast.
The team that I arrived here with is wonderful-- mostly young adults with a TON of energy and various talents and gifts. They are so eager to experience the BLC and can keep up with the boys!!
My Spanish feels better than expected. I thought I'd be pretty rusty. I did have one slip up... I asked one of the boys if he had "hombre" (a man) instead of "hambre" (hunger). But the boys have been patient in helping me shake off the dust though =)
I am out of time, but I do miss the States and am looking forward to sharing my adventures via blog again!
Con Carino,
Tia Amanda
I have been in Bolivia since 2pm on Friday, after a night of plane delays (what was an 11pm departure became a 5am departure), a just-in-time connection, and a 45 minute bus ride (which took an hour due to a main road blockade). Needless to say, we were all exhausted! But the moment the gates to the BLC opened, I got a burst of energy I could have lived off of for days.
There was one pequeno out in front who spotted us, then raced the bus around the corner to its parking spot, alerting the rest of the boys that we had (finally) arrived. When the team and I got off the bus, the kids quickly jumped from person to person, checking out the new gringos in town.
Carlos - a mediano who came into the BLC years ago without knowledge about the use of silverware (Mom and Dad-- do we have any cousins in Bolivia?)- was the first one who spotted me. He came up and embraced me, and then I knew I was back as he pointed out to the field where the cows were grazing, saying, "Amanda, la vaca gorda!", which was their affectionate and endearing name for me. There is a cow named Amanda now, and we've been confused by the boys multiple times as sisters. =) It was then that I realized that I am exactly where I am supposed to be this month.
The first night we got in we got to spend a few hours just hanging out with the boyus, and later we got to read/play cards with the medianos, and have tickle time with the pequenos. I felt in my element again. Then today we went to the really neat park all day. I got to shoot some hoops with some of my favorite grandes, and then spectate a Bolivian Women's Basketball league! It was quite interesting-- they have a pretty lenient travel violation rule =)
The afternoon was spent on what the boys call a double-wide slide, but all others call a half-pipe. We spent hours sliding down the half pipe in groups, kicking balls and hula hoops, and creating all sorts of other competitions. It was a blast.
The team that I arrived here with is wonderful-- mostly young adults with a TON of energy and various talents and gifts. They are so eager to experience the BLC and can keep up with the boys!!
My Spanish feels better than expected. I thought I'd be pretty rusty. I did have one slip up... I asked one of the boys if he had "hombre" (a man) instead of "hambre" (hunger). But the boys have been patient in helping me shake off the dust though =)
I am out of time, but I do miss the States and am looking forward to sharing my adventures via blog again!
Con Carino,
Tia Amanda
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
T-Minus 48 Hours!
Greetings from Savannah, Georgia (the end of day 1 of the road trip with my mom and sister down to Miami, Florida, where I will be leaving for BOLIVIA!)
I am just heading to bed from getting some final final ties tied before I focus 110% on my upcoming trip to the Centro de Vida Bolivia! After a few very full, rather hectic months, this trip really snuck up on me. It finally hit me on Monday, when my room was emptied and I was on my way to the airport after work to pick up my mom. Wow- I am so thankful that the Good Lord has orchestrated a trip #2, and for a full month!
A list of praises about going back:
- Reconnecting with the boys. I definitely do not want to think too highly of myself or the impact I have on the kiddos, but I think that consistency speaks volumes in their lives. Every time a team of gringos gets off the bus, the kids search the crowd, and ask where various people who have played roles in their lives are. Some of these people have just come to the BLC once years ago, but they have great memories, and seem to rarely forget a name or a face. It is my hope that returning to Bolivia makes them realize that my relationships with them are something I deeply cherish, and they are SO WORTH IT!
- I hope to be able to redeem their perception of female figures in their lives. Somehow, in the way I imperfectly think, act, and live, I hope the boys can find some comfort in the love I so desperately want them to know.
- Using my Spanish again. It's going to be rusty, that's for sure! I haven't been able to use it much these past 11 months or so, but I am excited about being thrown back into the language and culture. I thrive on this language and culture, and am excited to reconnect to it. I am hoping that this refresher course will motivate me to come back to the States and volunteer or plug in somewhere in the community where I can utilize my love for it.
- Familiar faces on the teams! I will be hosting four American missions teams with a group of hosts, and I think there will be many returning week-long missionaries, which I am jazzed about. A few of the hosts are also hosts from last year, and I am excited about growing these relationships. But one of the definite highlights of this trip will be the last team that comes in July, which will bring three wonderful people in my life. My boyfriend Ryan will be coming down and falling in love with the boys and teaching them how to throw a spiral! Also, Alyssa and Michael Bruce, the daughter and son of my colleague Mike, are coming down to spend the week in Bolivia as well! I get excited thinking about how their hearts will just fall so quickly in love with these boys.
- Being disconnected from technology again. Though it is quite inconvenient with work projects crossing the finish line in the middle of my time at the BLC, this disconnection is so freeing, and I love how the concept of time changes when you are hard to reach. This is so different than how I function in the States, and so to be removed from it, even for a month, is invigorating, like a breath of fresh air.
- Reuniting with Amanda la vaca gorda- sooo proud to have a cow named after me =)
- Tia Julia's cooking- a big big plus. Crossing my fingers for pique and some lasagna!!
- I brought some jump ropes, and would love to teach the boys a few tricks (if they are interested)!
By this time in two days, I will be in the air, somewhere over Central or South America. I can't believe it's here!
Much love to all-
Mandy
I am just heading to bed from getting some final final ties tied before I focus 110% on my upcoming trip to the Centro de Vida Bolivia! After a few very full, rather hectic months, this trip really snuck up on me. It finally hit me on Monday, when my room was emptied and I was on my way to the airport after work to pick up my mom. Wow- I am so thankful that the Good Lord has orchestrated a trip #2, and for a full month!
A list of praises about going back:
- Reconnecting with the boys. I definitely do not want to think too highly of myself or the impact I have on the kiddos, but I think that consistency speaks volumes in their lives. Every time a team of gringos gets off the bus, the kids search the crowd, and ask where various people who have played roles in their lives are. Some of these people have just come to the BLC once years ago, but they have great memories, and seem to rarely forget a name or a face. It is my hope that returning to Bolivia makes them realize that my relationships with them are something I deeply cherish, and they are SO WORTH IT!
- I hope to be able to redeem their perception of female figures in their lives. Somehow, in the way I imperfectly think, act, and live, I hope the boys can find some comfort in the love I so desperately want them to know.
- Using my Spanish again. It's going to be rusty, that's for sure! I haven't been able to use it much these past 11 months or so, but I am excited about being thrown back into the language and culture. I thrive on this language and culture, and am excited to reconnect to it. I am hoping that this refresher course will motivate me to come back to the States and volunteer or plug in somewhere in the community where I can utilize my love for it.
- Familiar faces on the teams! I will be hosting four American missions teams with a group of hosts, and I think there will be many returning week-long missionaries, which I am jazzed about. A few of the hosts are also hosts from last year, and I am excited about growing these relationships. But one of the definite highlights of this trip will be the last team that comes in July, which will bring three wonderful people in my life. My boyfriend Ryan will be coming down and falling in love with the boys and teaching them how to throw a spiral! Also, Alyssa and Michael Bruce, the daughter and son of my colleague Mike, are coming down to spend the week in Bolivia as well! I get excited thinking about how their hearts will just fall so quickly in love with these boys.
- Being disconnected from technology again. Though it is quite inconvenient with work projects crossing the finish line in the middle of my time at the BLC, this disconnection is so freeing, and I love how the concept of time changes when you are hard to reach. This is so different than how I function in the States, and so to be removed from it, even for a month, is invigorating, like a breath of fresh air.
- Reuniting with Amanda la vaca gorda- sooo proud to have a cow named after me =)
- Tia Julia's cooking- a big big plus. Crossing my fingers for pique and some lasagna!!
- I brought some jump ropes, and would love to teach the boys a few tricks (if they are interested)!
By this time in two days, I will be in the air, somewhere over Central or South America. I can't believe it's here!
Much love to all-
Mandy
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
In the Words of the Governator...
"I'll be back!" I'm shaking the dust off this old blog, because I am JOURNEYING BACK TO THE CENTRO!
After a wonderful nine-month Falls Church Fellows Program in Northern Virginia, a few things deciding my future have begun to unfold. Part of the Fellows Program is to intern locally, and I was bestowed the honor of spending my time working as a marketing and communications intern at an exciting growing business engaged in "mission-centric consulting. " Over time, I have slowly gained confidence that I could indeed be useful in the business world, which came to a culmination point when Mike Bruce, the president and CEO / my boss, offered me a full-time position as a Communications Specialist. When we first had this conversation in December, those words gave me so much joy, but also tied a knot in my stomach. To my own suprise, I told him that I was hesitant because I wanted to head back down to Bolivia for the summer! And then even more suprising was that Mike told me I could!
I can't believe that God has given me the best of both worlds. I am taking the summer as "my last summer" before responsibility of the real world falls on my shoulders. After the program ends on June 6th, I'll remain in the area until June 22nd, when I will head down to Miami (potentially a road trip with my Mama!), where I will depart for BOLIVIA! I get to spend the month of July (June 24th thru July 24th) "hosting" at the Bolivia Life Center again! I'll head down to Bolivia with the first of four back to back missions teams that are coming down to do work projects around the BLC, as well as spend some precious time with the boys. As a host, I just make sure that the teams have everything they need, and lead some of the work projects. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we will have nothing to do with cutting grass with machetes or burning fields with "controlled" fires. We'll see =)
After I get back from Bolivia, I head back to work for a week, and then go on vacation with my family to Vermont. FINALLY, August 16th begins my life as a big girl, working full time and living on my own for maybe the first time. I just can't believe that I've been given the best of both worlds!
I'll probably write another entry or two as my departure date draws near, but I am so happy to reopen this blog, simply because it means MORE BOLIVIA!
After a wonderful nine-month Falls Church Fellows Program in Northern Virginia, a few things deciding my future have begun to unfold. Part of the Fellows Program is to intern locally, and I was bestowed the honor of spending my time working as a marketing and communications intern at an exciting growing business engaged in "mission-centric consulting. " Over time, I have slowly gained confidence that I could indeed be useful in the business world, which came to a culmination point when Mike Bruce, the president and CEO / my boss, offered me a full-time position as a Communications Specialist. When we first had this conversation in December, those words gave me so much joy, but also tied a knot in my stomach. To my own suprise, I told him that I was hesitant because I wanted to head back down to Bolivia for the summer! And then even more suprising was that Mike told me I could!
I can't believe that God has given me the best of both worlds. I am taking the summer as "my last summer" before responsibility of the real world falls on my shoulders. After the program ends on June 6th, I'll remain in the area until June 22nd, when I will head down to Miami (potentially a road trip with my Mama!), where I will depart for BOLIVIA! I get to spend the month of July (June 24th thru July 24th) "hosting" at the Bolivia Life Center again! I'll head down to Bolivia with the first of four back to back missions teams that are coming down to do work projects around the BLC, as well as spend some precious time with the boys. As a host, I just make sure that the teams have everything they need, and lead some of the work projects. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we will have nothing to do with cutting grass with machetes or burning fields with "controlled" fires. We'll see =)
After I get back from Bolivia, I head back to work for a week, and then go on vacation with my family to Vermont. FINALLY, August 16th begins my life as a big girl, working full time and living on my own for maybe the first time. I just can't believe that I've been given the best of both worlds!
I'll probably write another entry or two as my departure date draws near, but I am so happy to reopen this blog, simply because it means MORE BOLIVIA!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Goodbyes
So, I write this in the Santa Cruz airport, trying to kill time before my flight takes off in a few hours. It hasn´t hit me yet, that this experience is over. I still expect to wake up on my top bunk to Allison´s alarm clock, greet the boys downstairs when we go for a run (tomorrow we have 23 vueltas), and then head upstairs for the Bolivian traditional ham and cheese sandwich for breakfast. Today was such a whirlwind, and the hours flew by. Before I knew it, dinner was ready and we had to eat and run. This week, the kids headed back to school, so I had to say my goodbyes to some of them in the middle of the day. I decided to ride the bus with them to drop them off at their school, and just like that, they filed off the bus hurriedly as I said my goodbyes. The boys that go to school in the mornings were at the Center when I left, but scattered all over the place... A few of the grandes awaited me with cards and hugs, and all the medianos and pequeños were around to shower me with love and ¨¡no te vayas!¨It was special to see them wave as we shut the door to the trufi, and then to see them continue playing, signaling to me that life will go on, but it will never be the same as it was, because we have all been touched by one another. Obviously if you are trying to say goodbye to 76 people, you´re gonna miss saying goodbye to a few. But it was just SO HARD pulling away, as face after face crossed my mind, boys that I didn´t get to tell one last time how much they are worth, how much I love them, how much I will miss them, and how I will NEVER forget them. There was a literal feeling in my heart that it was in my stomach as we made my last drive into Cochabamba...
My heart is so intertwined with the BLC, and as I sit here, heading home, I have SUCH fervant yet opposite emotions. While I am so sad to leave Bolivia, I have a peace knowing that the BLC and the boys I have met and befriended this summer will always be a part of my life. I am not sure how yet, but even now as I sit here, I have a feeling of peace that this was not my last journey to Bolivia. I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me and my 76 new brothers. I have never had brothers growing up, but now I do. I am SO THANKFUL for this journey this summer (Bolivian winter), and I am sure I will continue to see how it shapes my life from here on out.
The internet store is closing now. It´s not goodbye, it´s see you later Bolivia!! =)
My heart is so intertwined with the BLC, and as I sit here, heading home, I have SUCH fervant yet opposite emotions. While I am so sad to leave Bolivia, I have a peace knowing that the BLC and the boys I have met and befriended this summer will always be a part of my life. I am not sure how yet, but even now as I sit here, I have a feeling of peace that this was not my last journey to Bolivia. I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me and my 76 new brothers. I have never had brothers growing up, but now I do. I am SO THANKFUL for this journey this summer (Bolivian winter), and I am sure I will continue to see how it shapes my life from here on out.
The internet store is closing now. It´s not goodbye, it´s see you later Bolivia!! =)
Sunday, July 19, 2009
¨Casual Missions¨
So, there´s this T-Shirt that the CIN made a few years ago that say ¨Missions Extreme: Bolivia.¨ We have definitely had our few weeks of Missions Extreme, but this week we dubbed the start of ¨Missions Casual¨. We still did work projects, but exchanged out machetes and shovels for Sharpees and paintbrushes and brochures. After painting the ceiling of a few bathrooms and the social worker´s office, we began to Sharpee the names on the bricks in the Walkway of Life. These are the names of the people who believed in the BLC before it even opened, and their support helped build this home. These bricks are the first steps that a new boy walks on into his new home. It´s so neat, and such a special walkway to think about. When we got tired of bricks, we would head upstairs to begin our casual project of folding brochures of the new program that the CIN is starting up. We still have 2500 to go, so there is always something to do in the apartment...
One work projects of sorts has been to give the children letters from their sponsors, and get them to write letters back. This is suchh a fun process, because their eyes LIGHT UP when they get permission to come into the room, and then they read their letters as FAST as they can, and then they take forever perfecting their pictures and letters to be sent back. (Not all of them act like this, but the ones that do are absolutely touching.)
Other than our not-so-taxing work projects, we have been having some LEGIT fun in these parts!! On Tuesday, we took ALL the grandes (23 in all) to the bowling alley for the first time in their lives. It was a riot. When we first got there, most of them were so uncomfortable though... This is a place where only rich people go, and they felt like they stuck out like sore thumbs. But as I looked at these boys, dressed in nice jeans, Hollister or Abercrombie shirts (or a knock off of them at least), I would not have picked them out to be a group of orphans. They were all hesitant to start, because they did not know how, but I took 4 boys on my lane and we were the first to start. After a few lessons, Alejandro took is first turn, and got 8 pins! AFter 3 rounds, Allison (the other gringo with me) and I were LOSING to all of them! (Granted, we did have bumpers). But it was awesome to watch them begin to shed their layer of discomfort and really begin to enjoy themselves. I loved every frame. One of the boys was especially embarassed, and did not even want to bowl. It was Cristian, who has grown to have a really special place in my heart, so I was really bummed that he was so uncomfortable. But after we took a walk, and Anna and Sandra invited him to play with only them 3 on a lane, he finalllly accepted... THEN HE GOT THE HIGHEST SCORE OUT OF ANYONE THERE, GRINGO OR BOLIVIANO! We have a little hustler in our midst! In five consecutive frames, he bowled a strike, strike, strike, spare, strike.... So needless to say, he began to show a little smile and enjoy himself. It was such a wonderful outing, and such a wonderful first experience to share with these boys. I hope one day they take their families bowling because of the fond memories of their first times.
We also learned a new sport- walleyball. The hosts met up with one of Anna´s friends in Cochabamba, then headed to a house-turned walleyball/raquetball center. Basically, walleyball is played in a raquetball court, and all the walls except the back ones are fair came. It was SO FUN to play, and we were laughing at each other as we ran into walls and did splits on the floor and all that stuff. It was quite an experience.
Other than that, the Brummería is getting more and more use each day. We bought about 30 movies from La Cancha yesterday (my contribution was HSM 1,2 and 3), and I am SO excited about watching them with the boys. We also have special dates with the pequeños and medianos this week, for a little ice cream social in the cafeteria, then straight to a movie night in the Brummería (since we took the grandes bowling, we had to make it all fair... you know the routine). I am SOOO excited! The pequeños´night is tonight, and I think we are watching ¨Up.¨It´s gonna be awesome.
Finally, the finishing touches were put on our new sand volleyball court this week! It has been a blast to play... the boys are now FEARLESS because they are in sand. They dive for anything. The sand pit is now also used for wrestling, because it hurts less, learning how to do backflips, and burying each other in, as well as each other´s shoes, snacks for the day, anything. It´s been a source of entertainment this week, that´s for sure.
Well, this is my last blog that will post while I am in Bolivia. I can´t believe it. The time has gone so fast. I have learned so much, grown so much, but still am very much me. I am so thankful for my time here, and my heart is already hurting thinking about leaving these boys. I am already praying that God will call me back here next summer, but I´ll have to wait to see what HE has up His sleeve for me. For all you pray-ers reading, I would love a little prayer sent up about this last week- that I let all these boys know their worth and my love for them!
CON AMOR!
One work projects of sorts has been to give the children letters from their sponsors, and get them to write letters back. This is suchh a fun process, because their eyes LIGHT UP when they get permission to come into the room, and then they read their letters as FAST as they can, and then they take forever perfecting their pictures and letters to be sent back. (Not all of them act like this, but the ones that do are absolutely touching.)
Other than our not-so-taxing work projects, we have been having some LEGIT fun in these parts!! On Tuesday, we took ALL the grandes (23 in all) to the bowling alley for the first time in their lives. It was a riot. When we first got there, most of them were so uncomfortable though... This is a place where only rich people go, and they felt like they stuck out like sore thumbs. But as I looked at these boys, dressed in nice jeans, Hollister or Abercrombie shirts (or a knock off of them at least), I would not have picked them out to be a group of orphans. They were all hesitant to start, because they did not know how, but I took 4 boys on my lane and we were the first to start. After a few lessons, Alejandro took is first turn, and got 8 pins! AFter 3 rounds, Allison (the other gringo with me) and I were LOSING to all of them! (Granted, we did have bumpers). But it was awesome to watch them begin to shed their layer of discomfort and really begin to enjoy themselves. I loved every frame. One of the boys was especially embarassed, and did not even want to bowl. It was Cristian, who has grown to have a really special place in my heart, so I was really bummed that he was so uncomfortable. But after we took a walk, and Anna and Sandra invited him to play with only them 3 on a lane, he finalllly accepted... THEN HE GOT THE HIGHEST SCORE OUT OF ANYONE THERE, GRINGO OR BOLIVIANO! We have a little hustler in our midst! In five consecutive frames, he bowled a strike, strike, strike, spare, strike.... So needless to say, he began to show a little smile and enjoy himself. It was such a wonderful outing, and such a wonderful first experience to share with these boys. I hope one day they take their families bowling because of the fond memories of their first times.
We also learned a new sport- walleyball. The hosts met up with one of Anna´s friends in Cochabamba, then headed to a house-turned walleyball/raquetball center. Basically, walleyball is played in a raquetball court, and all the walls except the back ones are fair came. It was SO FUN to play, and we were laughing at each other as we ran into walls and did splits on the floor and all that stuff. It was quite an experience.
Other than that, the Brummería is getting more and more use each day. We bought about 30 movies from La Cancha yesterday (my contribution was HSM 1,2 and 3), and I am SO excited about watching them with the boys. We also have special dates with the pequeños and medianos this week, for a little ice cream social in the cafeteria, then straight to a movie night in the Brummería (since we took the grandes bowling, we had to make it all fair... you know the routine). I am SOOO excited! The pequeños´night is tonight, and I think we are watching ¨Up.¨It´s gonna be awesome.
Finally, the finishing touches were put on our new sand volleyball court this week! It has been a blast to play... the boys are now FEARLESS because they are in sand. They dive for anything. The sand pit is now also used for wrestling, because it hurts less, learning how to do backflips, and burying each other in, as well as each other´s shoes, snacks for the day, anything. It´s been a source of entertainment this week, that´s for sure.
Well, this is my last blog that will post while I am in Bolivia. I can´t believe it. The time has gone so fast. I have learned so much, grown so much, but still am very much me. I am so thankful for my time here, and my heart is already hurting thinking about leaving these boys. I am already praying that God will call me back here next summer, but I´ll have to wait to see what HE has up His sleeve for me. For all you pray-ers reading, I would love a little prayer sent up about this last week- that I let all these boys know their worth and my love for them!
CON AMOR!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Gumby
So, the second Lake Forest team has come and left, after a full week of relatively organized chaos. The Lake Forest teams each brought a Gumby with them for the trip, because they were sent out of the country on a charge by the missions pastor to be flexible, like Gumby is. And by golly, this Lake Forest team was full of flexible experts, as obstacles were thrown our way left and right this week! The main goal of the week was to design a media room for the boys, and make it come to life. The room is called the Brummería, after Elliot Brumm, one of the boys from the LFC congregation who passed away last November, but spent some wonderful time here at the BLC with the boys. The week started out and we seemed on top of things- we had a design for a mural in the room, a general understanding of the furniture we were going to get, the colors we were going to paint everything, the new light fixtures we wanted... But then it was time to get flexible...
A few members of the team spent a whole day in the market searching for all the odds and ends of the project, and although they came back exhausted, they were satisfied with their purchases, and they only needed a few more things the next day. However, the city (or town?) of Quillacollo, which is in between Sipe Sipe and Cochabamba (aka in between the BLC and the market), decided that ¨they are tired of walking on dirt,¨ and started a strike of sorts, in the form of a road blockade. The first day only the main roads were blocked, and we could get around with ease. However, as the week continued, the blockade began to grow onto all the mini roads and it seemed that all the shortcuts were blocked. The group remained calm though, and got to work with what they had. Each team comes down, and they work during the morning and then we go to a rural town in the mountains and sing songs and perform a story from the Bible in the afternoons. We ended up only being able to go twice, and the third day our bus broke down in the middle of trying to navigate through the blockade. The fourth day, we all piled into the bus again, but then we couldn´t find any gas, because the gas trucks couldn´t get to this side of Quillacollo. So, we turned around again, and headed back to the BLC. Gumby in action though, the team used these afternoons to really buckle down and continue working on the Brummería. Their work and flexiblity paid off, as on Thursday night, we got to take a step back and check out the new media room, with 3 tvs, playstations, dvds, couches, and rugs. The boys´reaction was priceless. They were so excited to have a room like this to be able to relax in. It is their family room of sorts. Unfortunately, we didn´t actually get to test out all the new equipment in the room, because they finished at about 1130pm the night before they left.
Elliot really liked tie dye, and so another thing the team did in memory of him was they made tie dye shirts for each of the 76 boys. We all wore our tie dye together for the pizza party on Thursday night. It was really neat to see so much tie dye, it was touching as we gathered the group of gringos and bolivianos to take a picture full of colors. The boys are still running around in their shirts, so Elliot will be a part of the BLC for a long time to come.
The group continued to be super flexible, as we sat in the airport and found out that the plane that they were supposed to be taking to Miami was broken. Broken. But they luckily somehow had 20 open seats on a different flight leaving that night, so they jumped at that opportunity, that´s for sure. They ended up taking off on time, and we didn´t get any calls, so we´re assuming they made it home safe too.
Those who were not working on the Brummería this week had some work projects that were all related to the boys´having fun, which was really rewarding. The first day we spent trying to dig a volleyball court 12 inches deep. We made barely any progress, and were wondering how the heck we were going to finish. But luckily, John Hernandez decided to just call in a tractor to do it. The tractor came right after the team left, but thankfully, we are one step closer to a sand volleyball court!! The other big thing we got to do was to sand and paint the whole playground area, and it´s bright and full of colors now. And somehow, we avoided the boys´sliding down the slide on wet paint and getting a seriously blue bottom.
This LFC team leaving marked the beginning of a two week break from teams. In one way, it´s fun, it´s nice to slow down the pace. But on the other hand, 6 hosts can´t love on 76 boys at one time. It is so nice to have teams here to be able to interact with the boys and love on them. There are usually 7 or 8 teams that come in a summer, but the economy really has affected the number of teams this summer, which is unfortunate. Anyways, the day after the team left, we all SLEPT IN! It was amazing. Then, the Hernandez family invited us into town for a day of pampering of sorts. The fellas went and got their hair cut, while all us ladies got mani and pedicures, which costed 5 American dollars. It feels weird to be on a mission trip with a French manicure, not gonna lie. But it was nice to get off our feet and relax with each other. And you can´t really pass up an offer like that- five dollars!
The Hernandez family is leaving tomorrow, so we went out to lunch yesterday at this AMAZING restaurant. I had a delicious steak and some chicken. It made me miss my Mom´s steak though. She definitely wins the award for best steak. I can´t wait for some when I get home. Actually, I probably can, because I have had SO MUCH meat this summer. We eat meat with every meal...
Last night was indescribably precious as well. We ¨broke in¨the Brummería, by inviting each of the age groups in for a movie night. We watched Los Increíbles with the little ones and the middle ones, and then we watched, per request by the grandes, the CHEESIEST chinese soccer movie I have ever seen. It was called Shaolin Soccer, and basically this washed up player who wanted to be a coach found a group of kung fu experts to play soccer. It was absolutely horrendous, but the boys LOVED it. They were quoting the whole movie, laughing in anticipation of the funny parts, it was ridiculous. One of them asked me if I saw the movie in theaters in the States, but there is NO way it made it to theaters. Haha, it was amazing just for the fact at how entertaining it was for the boys. I loved it.
I am having a hard time believing that I will be back in the States in a dozen days. I miss home a whole lot, but I am going to have a really hard time leaving these boys.
Toodles!
A few members of the team spent a whole day in the market searching for all the odds and ends of the project, and although they came back exhausted, they were satisfied with their purchases, and they only needed a few more things the next day. However, the city (or town?) of Quillacollo, which is in between Sipe Sipe and Cochabamba (aka in between the BLC and the market), decided that ¨they are tired of walking on dirt,¨ and started a strike of sorts, in the form of a road blockade. The first day only the main roads were blocked, and we could get around with ease. However, as the week continued, the blockade began to grow onto all the mini roads and it seemed that all the shortcuts were blocked. The group remained calm though, and got to work with what they had. Each team comes down, and they work during the morning and then we go to a rural town in the mountains and sing songs and perform a story from the Bible in the afternoons. We ended up only being able to go twice, and the third day our bus broke down in the middle of trying to navigate through the blockade. The fourth day, we all piled into the bus again, but then we couldn´t find any gas, because the gas trucks couldn´t get to this side of Quillacollo. So, we turned around again, and headed back to the BLC. Gumby in action though, the team used these afternoons to really buckle down and continue working on the Brummería. Their work and flexiblity paid off, as on Thursday night, we got to take a step back and check out the new media room, with 3 tvs, playstations, dvds, couches, and rugs. The boys´reaction was priceless. They were so excited to have a room like this to be able to relax in. It is their family room of sorts. Unfortunately, we didn´t actually get to test out all the new equipment in the room, because they finished at about 1130pm the night before they left.
Elliot really liked tie dye, and so another thing the team did in memory of him was they made tie dye shirts for each of the 76 boys. We all wore our tie dye together for the pizza party on Thursday night. It was really neat to see so much tie dye, it was touching as we gathered the group of gringos and bolivianos to take a picture full of colors. The boys are still running around in their shirts, so Elliot will be a part of the BLC for a long time to come.
The group continued to be super flexible, as we sat in the airport and found out that the plane that they were supposed to be taking to Miami was broken. Broken. But they luckily somehow had 20 open seats on a different flight leaving that night, so they jumped at that opportunity, that´s for sure. They ended up taking off on time, and we didn´t get any calls, so we´re assuming they made it home safe too.
Those who were not working on the Brummería this week had some work projects that were all related to the boys´having fun, which was really rewarding. The first day we spent trying to dig a volleyball court 12 inches deep. We made barely any progress, and were wondering how the heck we were going to finish. But luckily, John Hernandez decided to just call in a tractor to do it. The tractor came right after the team left, but thankfully, we are one step closer to a sand volleyball court!! The other big thing we got to do was to sand and paint the whole playground area, and it´s bright and full of colors now. And somehow, we avoided the boys´sliding down the slide on wet paint and getting a seriously blue bottom.
This LFC team leaving marked the beginning of a two week break from teams. In one way, it´s fun, it´s nice to slow down the pace. But on the other hand, 6 hosts can´t love on 76 boys at one time. It is so nice to have teams here to be able to interact with the boys and love on them. There are usually 7 or 8 teams that come in a summer, but the economy really has affected the number of teams this summer, which is unfortunate. Anyways, the day after the team left, we all SLEPT IN! It was amazing. Then, the Hernandez family invited us into town for a day of pampering of sorts. The fellas went and got their hair cut, while all us ladies got mani and pedicures, which costed 5 American dollars. It feels weird to be on a mission trip with a French manicure, not gonna lie. But it was nice to get off our feet and relax with each other. And you can´t really pass up an offer like that- five dollars!
The Hernandez family is leaving tomorrow, so we went out to lunch yesterday at this AMAZING restaurant. I had a delicious steak and some chicken. It made me miss my Mom´s steak though. She definitely wins the award for best steak. I can´t wait for some when I get home. Actually, I probably can, because I have had SO MUCH meat this summer. We eat meat with every meal...
Last night was indescribably precious as well. We ¨broke in¨the Brummería, by inviting each of the age groups in for a movie night. We watched Los Increíbles with the little ones and the middle ones, and then we watched, per request by the grandes, the CHEESIEST chinese soccer movie I have ever seen. It was called Shaolin Soccer, and basically this washed up player who wanted to be a coach found a group of kung fu experts to play soccer. It was absolutely horrendous, but the boys LOVED it. They were quoting the whole movie, laughing in anticipation of the funny parts, it was ridiculous. One of them asked me if I saw the movie in theaters in the States, but there is NO way it made it to theaters. Haha, it was amazing just for the fact at how entertaining it was for the boys. I loved it.
I am having a hard time believing that I will be back in the States in a dozen days. I miss home a whole lot, but I am going to have a really hard time leaving these boys.
Toodles!
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