Monday Oct. 22, 2012

The only exciting thing that happened today other than our day off was there was a campus picture taken today. Familia Feliz has had Calvin (a professional photographer/videographer) working here making a promotional video and helping to make a new website for Familia Feliz. So today, they wanted to get a picture of the entire campus for the website. Oh, and one other thing, while I was dressed up in my church clothes, I was sitting on the steps on the porch of the big house and a dog walked up behind me and lifted his leg to pee on my back!! Fortunately, I saw him lift his leg and I was able to move midstream before it hit me. But that was a very close call! Other than that, it was just a normal day off.

I have been preparing for my sermon on trusting in God and had a lot of my thoughts together. However, this evening France came to my room and told me that he had a powerpoint presentation for me to preach my sermon from. Needless to say, this was very unexpected. I immediately became a lot more nervous because this is a drastic change from what I was expecting. But then I figured that preaching with a slideshow behind me might actually be a lot easier. Thats when he told me that all the slides were in spanish. Was he kidding? I might be able to get the idea of what some of the slides say with my broken spanish, but I can't preach a sermon from a slideshow written in spanish! Especially 41 slides! This caused me to go into a little bit of a panic mode and I decided that I needed to talk with Erin and get her to help me

Tuesday Oct. 23, 2012

Bread day again. Today we decided to make Ciabatta bread again, one of my favorites! It actually started late last night so we could get a "12 hour preferment" for added flavor. But unfortunately, Eric got some shampoo spilled into his laptop and it completely stopped working. So he needed to go to town to see if he could do anything to fix it. So that left Steven and I baking bread all day. Which really wasn't that bad because I want to learn how to make Ciabata perfectly!

Half way through the day, I saw Erin and told herabout my sermon situation. I was just going to ask her to help me translate the slides so I could have an idea of what I was talking about for each slide. But then she read my mind and flat out said that this is ridiculous and that France can't expect me to do this. So she told me that she would talk to France for me. Later on, she brought France over and we all talked about it. He was confused at why I couldn't do it (even though he knew that I didn't speak spanish) because a month ago, he asked me if I would preach a sermon and I said yes. However, a premade slideshow in spanish was not part of the deal. I think he was a little disappointed, but he was very nice about it. So I suppose my sermon will have to wait until another day.

Wednesday Oct. 24, 2012

Tonight was very exciting though because in the late afternoon, Lizelle asked me if I would drive her to town. Of course I said I would. Then when I asked when, She said right now. Which was a little confusing to me because it was getting late and I wasn't sure why anyone would want to go to town that late. As it turns out, she had to catch a bus to go to a graduation service somewhere. So we all loaded up in the smaller truck that I have never driven and headed out. It was Lizelle, her sister, Limbert, Eric, and me in the truck. Limbert was going with her and the sister just wanted to spend more time with Lizelle.

Eric and I both thought that it would be a quick drop off and come back to town, quick and simple. But nothing is that simple in Bolivia (which is great because we never know whats in store for us from hour to hour). Once we got into town, Lizelle said she needed me to take her to her brothers house, then to her other brothers' house, then shopping for sandals for Limbert. During all this, at one point, she asked me to pull a U-turn. Now this is no problem in the States, even with a stickshift. But this truck has no power steering (which if you have never driven is a complete pain), the roads a extremely narrow, and this is like the busiest that I have ever seen Rurre. But I was able to make a 3-point turn and be on my way. So I was pretty proud, but the icing on the cake was when Lizelle was like "Wow, good job, very good!" because she doesn't just throw compliments around willy nilly.

After this I told her that Eric and I would wait for her at Naguila's because since we were in town, we might as well get online! Right? Turns out, we didn't end up leaving Rurre until about 11:45. It was wonderful! On the way back, Joy and 2 others were in the back seat (because they drove in later on the motobike), and they were able to fall asleep even with my driving and swerving to avoid all the potholes in the road. I felt like I was driving like Indiana Jones if he were driving in the middle of the jungle! But we got back safe and sound and I was able to crawl into bed around 1 am.

Thursday Oct. 25, 2012

Today was yet another bread making day. We were supposed to meet up with steven aroun 9:00 am but because of how late we got in last night, and then being woken up again around 5:30, I don't think either of us were physically ableto wake up that early. So we ended up meeting him around 10 or so. Today we are making Ficossie (not sure how to spell it) bread which has now become my favorite bread, at least when olive oil is not around. The plan was for me to make a small batch of ciabatta and Eric to make another small batch of ficossie on the side for extra practice, but because we didn't get as early of a start, we will have to postpone that until later.

Eric was a little disappointed that we were making ficossie today because it is his absolute favorite bread, but today was his class day so he could not help us make it. Steven and I were able to have a good day together without clashing shoulders too much. I think he is starting to warm up to Eric and I, but I think we are warming up too. Steven loves what he does and loves who he does is with. He wants to be able to teach others the art of bread making and throw is some spiritual insight in with it. I think he is beginning to kind of treat Eric and I as his "family" because he has not seen his family in several years and doesn't even know where they are at. But ever since he realized that we are the same age as his kids, and even have the exact same birthdays, I think really excited him.

Later on, right about the time to clean everything up, Eric finished his classes and came to help. Which was wonderful because in my opinion, cleaning up to Stevens standards is the hardest part of the bread making process. It is good that we are trying to be clean, but it just takes quite a long time.

In the afternoon, Calvin was finishing up the final product of his promotional video for Familia Feliz. So once their new site is up and running with the video, I will let everyone know.

This afternoon I also found out that this friday and following monday there is no school for the kids. They are having some sort of vacation. Which they love, as any kid would. So tomorrow some kids will be going to a relative's house nearby while others stay here.

This evening, since I only have about 4 kids, and there was no school tomorrow, I decided to show them a movie. The only problem about showing them movies is that all the movies I have are in English. But that does not keep them from enjoying them in the slightest. I actually kind of like it because I translate as much as I can for them so it might even be helping my spanish.

Friday Oct. 26, 2012

Today was the first day of vaction for everyone! One of the first exciting things to happen was Juan loaded up the truck with a bunch of the children and we went to a nearby school to play with them. This was a little surprise to Joy and Melissa because nobody told them about it which made them a little upset for obvious reasons. They were not told, much less asked about the whole situation and they are the ones responsible. Anyways, after some of the adults had a chit chat, we were on our way. Calvin, Eric, and I went with the kids but we were not sure if we were going to play because it was SUPER hot today. The kind of day where you can crack an egg and drop it straight into your mouth and by the time it gets there it's already fried.

Upon arriving, there where hardly any trees around the field so the 3 of us opted to not play and sit in the shade relaxing and talking. We had some serious guy talk. I would tell you all about it, but what guys talk about is of the upmost secret to the female species. And I know some woman are reading this. ;-)

After we came back, I relaxed and blogged for a little bit before I went outside to do my laundry. And as I said before, laundry takes a little bit more time than it does in the states. Especially if you just keep putting it off like I do. This was a good day to do laundry though because the heat would dry our clothes in a jiffy! I wanted to hurry up and get my laundry done so that I could have a penalty kick (soccer (for the ladies (haha))) competition with my house kids. They can turn any patch of ground into a soccer field and use anything to make a goal. Even though my kids are small, they are GOOD at soccer. I love to see how much passion they have for it.

Saturday Oct. 27, 2012

Today was Communion Sabbath which is always one of my most favorite Sabbaths. They do not allow the kids to participate only the adults and a few of the older children who understand what it means. Footwashing was very way more meaningful to me here than it ever has been to me in the states. I say that because in the States, we all wear shoes, bathe regularly, and don't have wild animals running around pooping and peeing everywhere. Here it is at least a little more like in the Bible days when you are actually humbling yourself to get on your knees and wash the dirt and grim off of unmanicured, gross looking feet. I think in the States, before we do footwashing, we should have everyone walk around in a big bucket of cow manure first! Ok, maybe not.

After church today I was able to do something that I have only done once since arriveing here, I got to take a nap. Or at least I tried. Remember how I said that on Friday we could drop an egg into our mouths and by the time it got there it would already be fried? Well today, the egg wouldn't even make it to our mouths because it would be incinerated.

I was laying in bed sweating like a pig. I wasn't able to get too much sleep because 1, it was obviously hot, and 2, everytime a bead of sweat formed on my chest, or back, or arm, or anywhere else for that matter, it felt as though it was an ant, mosquito, or some other little pest crawling all over me. So then I would slap myself for no reason. Later on, Joy asked me what I did this afternoon and I told her about how I tried to sleep but couldn't because I kept thinking bugs were on me. So she graciously told me that next time I wanted to take a nap, she would keep slapping me so that I wouldn't have to.

For dinner, everyone was on their own, so me being the guy that I am start to think, where should I go in order to find a good meal, cooked with love in every bite so I don't have to eat a raw carrot. So where else better to go than the girls dorm! Jackpot. Turns out, Calvin, Erin, and Annie were over there. So between the 4 of us, we cooked pasta with vegetables and vegetarian chicken broth.

This evening I let my now 3 boys watch Lion king while I went over to the big house to meet up with the other volunteers to watch Get Smart. But once again, nothing is THAT easy in Bolivia. On my way over, one of the older boys from the dorm stopped me and wanted to talk to me in private. Once we got to where no one could hear, he asked me if I could loan him 80 B's so he and his family could go to the pool tomorrow. I was pretty unsure about loaning out so much money to someone that I don't really know. So I told him I would think about it and I would let him know a little later. So I asked 4 different people about it and everyone of the immediately said that I should not do it and that he is the most untrustworthy person in the entire campus. So I discussed it with Max who is one of the deans and he said that he would take care of it.



You stay civilized......planet earth!

pictures

i was able to post a couple pictures to my last blog.

Tuesday Oct. 16, 2012

                Class day. This is by far the most stressful day of the week for me. This is the day that i teach the 3rd and 4th graders. They are the most rambuctious children you have ever seen! My parents better be grateful that I was a perfect angel when I was little! Today for class, what I decided to do was give them a quiz over the body that I had made in town. This didn't go quite as well as I would have liked. None of them seemes to remember too much about the body. I also gave a girl named Lisvania her choice of some chocolate or cookies in front of the entire class. I did this, as i explained to them, because Lisvania listened, participated, and behaved herself in the previous class, she was getting a reward. After the quiz, I decided to go over colors with them. It was all I could muster not to yell at these kids. They are always trying to test me and acting up. But I am just really happy that Eric is there with me, because I don't know if I could do it by myself.

                Later that afternoon, I asked if I could go back to town for a little bit even though it's not my day off and I was supposed to help with bread that day. On Monday I did not get a chance to talk with my parents or post my blog. So I really wanted to get those things done along with a couple other errands. Fortunately I was able to catch a taxi with Erin on the way into town.

                On our way back out to Familia Feliz, we got onto a taxi that we wern't sure if it was a real taxi or not. But there were 3 of us so we felt safe (Annie was already in town because it was her day off). But shortly after we got out of town, one of the people in the taxi said that they forgot to buy something in town and wanted to turn around. So we turned around to go back, and no sooner had we done that then we got a flat tire. Our taxi broke down and we had to walk all the way back to the taxi station. On the walk back, my only pair of sandals broke. On the way out of town. When I could no longer buy any more. But oh well, such is life. I knew I had duck tape at the orphanage, and duck tape is the answer to world peace.

                We ended up waiting long enough for our taxi guy to fix his car, go to a couple stores, and come back and pick us up for round 2. It was quite the adventure back. I felt bad though because I was not supposed to be gone as long as I was because I was supposed to come back in order to help with bread. By the time I got back, they were nearly done.

                Another good thing that happend today was that Calvin got back from touring around. It was really good to see him again and to hear about all the things that Eric and I need and will do later. He is glad to be back too. However, he is only here for about 10 days until he moves onto his next mission site.

                That evening before I headed to bed, Erin, Annie, Calvin, and I had a little talk under the stars about politics and the end time events. We just openly expressed our feelings and fears and just encouraged one another. It was a very good healthy talk.

Wednesday, Oct. 17 2012

                Since today is not a bread day, it is usually pretty dead. So I planned on doing my laundry today which I am desperately needing. But as soon as I looked at the sky, I knew it was going to rain later. So that tanked my idea there. Later on, around 9:30, Calvin stopped by and we talked more about his travels and how Eric and I should do things. Then after that was the main activity for the day, talking with steven about bread.

                For a little over 2 hours, Stevie talked to us about bread and how it is to be made. He wanted to give us a lesson on it where we took notes and he taught us. It was......interesting. He showed us pictures of tons of different kinds of bread, and percentages, and other bread sutff. I am very excited to be able to learn how to make different kinds of bread. So hopefully I will be able to make some when I come home.

                Oh, and before I forget, I asked Joel to show me a couple of chords on the guitar today which he did. I was pretty excited. I can now strum 3 chords! Not too impressive, but a good start. And now, for the past hour or so, it has been pouring down raining. So what does that mean for the kids? Well what else? Soccer. So I suppose I will go join them!

                That was a ton of fun! We just played soccer in the mud and rain with TONS of kids. It was extremely unorganized withkids mostly just running around and falling when they try to kick the ball. And to answer your questions, yes, I fell a couple times while attempting to kick the ball. After this mock game, Eric and I did another penalty kick competition with the boys. I'm not sure, but I think I won the first round (or at least tied).

                Later that evening it was discovered that once again, all the water was out for the entire compound. So that is something we will be dealing with for the next couple of days unfortunately. But after the soccer matches, a lot of us younger volunteers met up and played a game called "Dutch Blitz" in the candlelight. It was so much fun playing and bonding with the other workers.

Thursday Oct. 18, 2012

                I did not get very much sleep last night because 4 different times Joel and I were woken up by a 8-10'' rat munching on some of our trash in the room. Each time we got up and attempted to catch.......ok fine, kill it. It is so funny to see Joel go after these things because he HATES these little critters. He takes his broom and starts destroying everything in his path trying to find it. He looks just like the old lady from the beginning of the animation movie "Ratatouille". If you have not seen it, you should watch it so you can understand what I am seeing in real life! Anyways, on the fourth attempt, Joel was able to smack it about 40 times with the broom and then swept it outside. Unfortunately by this time, it was about time to wake up at 5 am.

                Today we were supposed to make bread but due to the rain, all the firewood was completely soaked and there was no clean water. So baker Steve and I made a bread rack with 8 shelves to stack the bread pans. This is to avoid putting the pans on the ground when they need to cool after being pulled out of the oven. It is essential to keep things from getting INSALUBRE! Eric would have helped but he had some classes today and then needed to go to town around noon to take care of a few things.

                The shelves took Steve and I most of the day because there are no power tools here and the wood is pretty hard. Not only that, but we were using screws for the massive thing. And did I mention that we didn't have a screwdriver? All we had was a leatherman pocket knife. But we got the job done and we both feel very accomplished. Not too much else happened today. Tomorrow we will be making bread and using our new shelves.

Friday Oct. 19, 2012

Saturday Oct. 20, 2012

                Sabbath is always such a welcome at Familia Feliz. Today baker steve gave the sermon which was kinda funny in that he likes to use very big words which made it very hard for the translater. After church we all went up to Asunta which is a little river about 30 minutes up the road from Familia Feliz. It is a very popular place to go and relax on Sabbath afternoon's. We spent much of the day there. After this, Eric and I went right outside of the compound to take a shower at a pipe that shoots out water with very good pressure. It is significantly better compared to the trickle that i get in my house. That evening, we all went to bed fairly early because 5 of us had a big day planned for tomorrow.

Sunday Oct. 21, 2012

                Today Eric, Melissa, Erin, Calvin, and I woke up early and drove to town because we were going on an excursion at 8 am! We all decided that we wanted to go ziplining in the jungle. this was super exciting and only costed $30 USD. The excursion began with a 30 minute boatride upstream, then a 45 minute walk uphill through the jungle, and then 8 ziplines going from tree to tree far above the ground. We were flying through trees and spinning and screaming, well, at least the girls were screaming. It was super fun and totally worth it! after that, we were able to take a couple hours in town to get online and run a few errands. so that was a wonderful chance to get some things done.

                I only have this week left to prepare for my sermon on trusting in God. Yikes. I am getting kind of nervous. Wish me luck! I will be sure to let you all know how it goes

P.S. sorry for now pictures recently....more computer issues

Sorry for the delay

Monday Oct. 8, 2012

I don’t usually include Mondays on my blog which is because I usually spend it just sitting in Narguila’s stuffing my face and adding to my blog! However, today was a little different. I had fallen asleep around 11 at night but was woken up right at 1 AM. One of Eric’s children was sent over to my house to get me and said that Eric was sick and needed me as soon as possible. So I jumped out of bed not knowing what I was going to see when I got over there. When I walked in, Eric looked as if he was dead. He had no energy, was pale, and could barely move or talk. He told me that he had been in the bathroom for 3 hours straight and was being completely drained.

He was not able to keep anything down at all. Everything he drank came right back up 5 minutes later. I told Erin (who was also called over) that I thought we needed to take him to the hospital to get in IV. Then a few minutes later he told me that he was freezing which I knew was a bad sign because trust me, it’s NEVER cold here. That’s when I told Juan that we needed to get the truck and get going. That’s about the time Melissa got there. She first asked him several questions, and then made the guess that he had salmonella. I don’t think that she is a nurse, but apparently, salmonella is pretty common over here, especially amongst the gringos. So after we all agreed that he needed to be taken in, we loaded him up and made the long trek into town.

When we got into town and arrived at the clinic, they were initially closed. But we knocked several times until they opened the door and saw Eric. That’s when they decided that they were going to be open. It was about 1:30 when we arrive to the clinic. The doctor came out and was dressed in jean shorts and a sleeveless shirt. He looked smart, but it didn’t take me long to remember that we were still in Bolivia, not the great U.S. of A. I asked Juan if this was the best place to come and he said that it is by far the best place. The staff at the clinic are familiar with familia feliz and are a lot more hospitable. This all turned out to be correct, they even offered me a bed next to eric for the night. So after a few hours of probing, some vomit, some runs, some blood, and some IV, he was finally able to fall asleep for a brief time around 3:30 am. But that was short lived as he woke up about an hour later with more of the same. And that was the pattern of the morning. However, he did tell me that after having the IV for a while, he was beginning to feel stronger and a lot better. He was even starting to get some of his color back. The doctor confirmed for us that it was salmonella.

Fortunately, I was able to get in touch with Eric’s mom shortly after we arrived to the clinic. So his parents were aware of what was happening. The doctor says that he wants to keep eric one more night to observe him to be on the safe side. So keep him in your prayers.

You stay civilized…..planet Earth!!!!

Tuesday Oct. 9, 2012

Last night I stayed with Eric again in the clinic. By now he was feeling a ton better which is wonderful. He has regained color and strength. Thanks to everyone for the prayers I know he really appreciated them. However, although he was getting better, something was starting to go on with my throat. It had been hurting a little bit all day on Monday, but on Monday night, it was pretty painful and getting hard to talk and to swallow. I was hoping that it was simply because I was up all night the previous night and a good nights sleep would fix me right up. But after getting a fairly good nights sleep at the clinic, I woke up this morning and my throat was just as bad, if not more so.

I had to wake up fairly early because to had to get back to Familia Feliz for my 10:30 english class. However, I wanted to get some cough drops or something. But none of the pharmacies where open. So I went into this one store and saw what appeared to be what I was looking for. I was excited, but I wanted to ask to make sure I wasn’t just buying candy. But I guess the lady knew what I was wanting simply by listening to my voice because she straight up lied to me and told me it was throat medicine. After I tasted it, I knew it couldn’t be because of how good it tasted. So the next store I went in, I asked the guy about them and he said they are completely sugar and have no medicinal value at all. I was a little upset at how the previous lady took me for a ride. But it wasn’t a TON of money, so I’ll live.

After this, I got a taxi back to Familia Feliz only to find out that they had moved my class to 4:30 without telling me. This was another slight annoyance, as Missy (Melissa) was expecting me to come back to town with her in the afternoon. So, I talked with the school leader and we decided that this whole thing is really about the kids and that we should do what’s in their best interest, so we canceled my class. This was a great relief for me as I was now able to take some things into town for Eric and meet him down there.

The other pretty interesting thing that happened to me today was Ron invited Erin and I over to his house for homemade pumpkin pie! Ron is an elderly white guy who came here years ago and opened a bread store. His bread shop was the main one in Rurre, and his business was hoppin’ until some French guy came in and put him out business. So now, Ron makes homemade oatmeal cookies, banana bread and several other delicious goodies. The pumpkin pie he actually wanted us to try wasn’t made with pumpkins because they don’t have those anywhere in Bolivia. He simply used other squash (which is in the same family as pumpkins) and cooked it the same way. His pie crust was homemade too with oatmeal, and honey, and brown sugar, and other things. It was absolutely amazing! It tasted so good. He isn’t going to be in Rurre too much longer because he will be heading to a pretty rough town where the crime rate is super high in order to spread the good news and to witness to others. He himself is not an Adventist, but he does believe in the Seventh-Day Sabbath and keeps that faithfully.

The rest of the day was fairly simple and laid back. The only little thing that went wrong was the fact that I had ordered a pizza at Narguila’s and ate it, then after being on my computer for a while, I forgot to pay. So yes ladies and gentlemen, I have done my first "dine and dash". However, next time I go into town I will be paying for it, because they are the last people I want to not like me!

Wednesday Oct. 10, 2012

Today was not the most exciting day in the world. It was a pretty dead day for Eric and I as there was not much to do. So, I capitalized on this day to get things done that I needed to. For example, in the morning, I was able to get some of my laundry done while the boys were in school. Laundry is not quite as easy as putting clothes in a machine, pushing start, and coming back 45 minutes later. Here, we have to do everything by hand and with a paddle, and a brush. After we finish cleaning, we have to hang our clothes on a line to dry. It is a very long and tedious process. However, it was made a little more pleasant because of the 4 toucans I saw in the tree right behind me. They were absolutely beautiful.

After laundry, I spent some time in Bible study and then took a little nap. When I woke up, I decided I was going to tackle the temple of doom……..my bathroom. Ever since I got here, it has been a complete and utter disaster. It was one of those places that a rat wouldn’t even go in without shoes. In fact, I think I just saw a tarantula walking around with 4 pairs of Nike sneakers! This bathroom had things such as an old sink on the floor, wet TP everywhere, random bricks, and a big pot full of motor oil that has been there for months. But by far, the worst part of the entire bathroom was the toilet. Inside, you literally could not tell that the bowl was white. It was completely stained with…..well…..stuff….. and every time I lifted the toilet seat, I was overwhelmed with the most foul and offensive smell that has dared to enter my nostrils. So I decided to give it a good cleaning. For a couple hours I went at it scrubbing and removing things and making it human worthy. Eventually I want to even get some paint and give the room new walls, because these are beyond scrubbing. Not too much else happened today.

Thursday Oct. 11, 2012

Today was a bread day yet again. Only this time, Eric was not going to be helping. He wanted to go into town and make sure he go to talk to his parents and let them know that he was feeling better and so he could take care of the things he couldn’t do on his day off. I was supposed to meet our baker friend right after lunch to get crackin’ on the bread. So, until then, I took a little snooze. I have had this extremely sore throat for the past 3 days or so and have even lost my voice. It has been terrible. But there are a few others that have it too. So I think that it is something that is just going around. Anyways, I have been trying to get some good sleep and drink plenty of water just like momma taught me (or was that daddy?).

I had a really great spiritual experience today actually. Recently I have been asking myself what is my purpose here? I haven’t quite been able to figure it out because I feel that everything I have done, they could do without me and I could be used elsewhere better. However, God showed me very clearly today. Let me explain, as I said earlier, this was another bread making day which have recently become a little bit longer. However, Eric wasn’t going to be here so that was just going to make things a little bit harder. A week or 2 ago, I mentioned our new helper in the kitchen and how he is not some people’s slice of pumpkin pie, but all of us don’t get along with some people. However, although many others don’t quite understand him, I’m starting to. Are there some stressful times? Sure. But most of everyone that I have seen so far cannot tolerate some things for more than a few minutes, but I realized today that I can. It is not the worst thing in the world and I have the patience for it. Not only that, but I have actually been enjoying the job that everyone before us has hated. I also feel that because I felt called to come to Bolivia to be a missionary, that doesn’t mean I was only called to reach Bolivians. I saw today, that I have another mission field here too.

Later that evening I had a little scare. Eric and Missy got back from town around 8:30ish and after they pulled in, Missy came right up to me and said that I was in big trouble and that my dad was currently on a flight coming to get me. Don’t worry, I’m not in trouble and my dad is still in Virginia. Here’s what happened, apparently, at 2:30 this morning, my dad got a message from me on skype that said "help". This obviously was not me because I am kinda in the middle of the jungle where the only way I can send a message is by tying one around the necks of these gigantic moths! This obviously gave my dad quite the scare and he called Eric’s mom who in turn panicked and began calling me, Eric, the police headquarters, GMI, Narguila’s, and even some lady in Rurre. All these people were on the hunt for me trying to get in touch and find out if I am alive. And all the while I was simply baking bread. I had no knowledge that any of this was going on at all. It is a very good thing that Missy and Eric needed to go to town today because I’m sure that my dad would have been on a plane bound for Bolivia if he didn’t hear from me or Eric soon. Can’t wait to hear more about my dad’s feelings when I go to town on Monday! So obviously my skype account was hacked and I need to change my password. What a nightmare for my parents!

Friday Oct.12, 2012

Today was another pretty serious dead day. Not too much happened today. I actually just spent a good portion on the day reading or sleeping or playing with the kids. So what I decided to do for today is write a little bit about my kids in my house.

I was given the house that had all the problem children. They wanted to try something new in secluding all of the problems into one house. So I was obviously a little nervous at this "opportunity" especially since I do not speak the language. I had 8 boys in my house, Wilson, Limbert, Jorge, Louis Fernando, Isaac, David, Guillermo, and Juan Carlos. However, now, I only have 7 boys. Limbert has been moved to the girls dorm because he was being "picked on" here. He was by far the smallest, and youngest one in this house. But you see, he was just like me when I was in the situation growing up because he asked for EVERY BIT of the abuse he got. Never once did I see any of the other boys mess with him without Limbert initiating every bit and annoying them. He is a super cute boy but he had all of it coming to him.

Each one of the boys are crazy different and have very much their own personality. Jorge has probably been the biggest help out of anyone in Bolivia with my Spanish. He doesn’t know English, but he teaches me words in Spanish, and then quizzes me on them later. And when he can tell that I don’t understand something or someone, he will slow it down and simplify it for me. He is 12 years old and can still be a handful sometimes.

David is 10 years old and is full of energy. But he is one of those kids that knows I am an American, which means I have stuff! So he is always watching me like a hawk whenever I go in or out of my room seeing if I have something that I can share with him. He is a pro at putting on that puppy dog face to try and make me bite.

Guillermo is similar to David in that he watches me like a hawk too. But his fascination lays in my computer and wanting to watch movies or look at pictures on my computer. I probably hear him say "Cine! Cine! Cine!" 8,462,583,502,482 time per day, every day. But he is a kid after my own heart because he is the only one that I have seen that has an under armour shirt.

You know how there is always one kid or family member that makes you want to scratch a chalkboard and put metal in a blender in order to get a little peace? Well, that’s Isaac. I think Isaac is the biggest problem on campus. The thing is, when he wants to be good, he can be great. But when he really wants to be a mosquito, he can do that really well too. Isaac is also the kid that likes to settle everything with a fist fight. So that keeps me on my toes. He is also forbidden to go to one of the other houses because he has gotten into so many fights over there and has acted demonic in front of other children.

Wilson is my man. If I had to choose a favorite, it would be him. He is pretty quite, but he is adorable. He loves to walk with me and sit next to me at church. Whenever we walk anywhere together, he wants to either hold my hand or have my arm wrapped around him. He’s my buddy. I have no idea how in the world he is in this house. He has never caused any problems at all and helps me know how things go in the house.

Louis Fernando is Wilson’s older brother. He is similar to Wilson in that he is quite and never causes a problem. He reminds me of a gentle giant in some movie. However, he isn’t THAT big. Just a little broader than average. He and his brother get along so well together. I am very glad that they have each other to get through their problems here.

Juan Carlos is the "Jefe" of the house. He is the biggest help to me in the house. He helps me know what everyone is supposed to be doing, who needs to do and who hasn’t done what. Whenever I am busy, I have complete confidence in him to run the house which he has had to do for me before. He is fair and impartial (at least from what I can tell) to all of the other boys.

I feel like I should have a ton more to write about these kids but it’s all more so stories. So from now on, whenever I mention one of their names, you will now have a little better idea of who I am talking about. Oh, and by the way, the day ended with a penalty kick contest that whoever won got a candy bar. I did not walk away with a candy bar. I am still working on developing my bolivian feet.

Saturday Oct. 13, 2012

Today was church which means we get to sleep in until about 7 am! However, I was woken up a little bit earlier with a loud crash and bang. I snapped awake and asked Joel if he was ok. He then told me that there was a mouse in the room that he was looking for. He was trying to search for it and smack it with a broom, but was hitting things along the way. Once he found the mouse and cornered it, he killed it in a way that I have never seen before, and will probably never see again, he leaned down and flicked it super hard on the head and it just collapsed.

The only nice thing about being woken up early is that you get to go back to sleep which is precisely what I did! We had to be in church at 9:15 so I got up at 9 and got dressed and headed over. Church was nice, but for some reason I was having a hard time staying awake. Which wasn’t good especially because after church, I promised to take the kids to the Toma which as I said before, Is a very long and exhausting walk.

After church, I went to ask France when I was speaking for week of prayer. They had asked me at a meeting if I wouldn’t mind so I said yes. But he said he would tell me when and on what topic. But week of prayer starts tomorrow and I hadn’t heard anything for weeks. So when I asked him, he responded by telling me that I will be giving the sermon at church 2 weeks from today and that the topic will be trusting in God. Oh boy! Never given a sermon before….any ideas? The only thing I have thought of so far is the story of Gideon.

The plan after church was to eat, and the head out for the Toma ASAP because it’s a minimum of a 5 hour trip with kids and we do not want to be out there in the jungle at dark. However, lunch was not ready at all. I was actually even able to take a one hour nap which in itself was heavenly. But then I was awoken by Eric who asked if I was ready to go to the Toma. I told him that it was too late and that he is crazy. But they decided that if only the bigger kids and some volunteers went, we could go a lot quicker. I knew this would not go over well with my kids. But when I broke it to them, they told me that they wanted to go to the Asunta anyway. Asunta is another little creek nearby that you can drive to. So fortunately, the truck took all the kids there while the rest of us trucked up to the Toma.

Nothing too exciting happened on the way up to the Toma, but once we got there, the kids went crazy fishing. But they were not using poles, or string, or nets. They were only using their hands! They are remarkable. Each one of them probably caught 20 or more! I couldn’t believe it! But then they taught me how to do it. So after many fails and fish jumping out of the water and hitting me in the face, I caught 2! I was so proud. But my fishing experience ended when I reached down to keep hunting, and a different kind of fish stung me. Apparently it’s a small fish that injects a small amount or poison of some sort. It stung deep enough to draw blood and make my finger go instantly numb to where I couldn’t close it. Fortunately, Max was familiar with that fish and assured me that I didn’t need to worry. My finger was only numb/tingly for maybe 10 minutes or so. But that was when everyone was ready to leave anyway. So we packed up, and made the long trek back.

Sunday Oct. 14, 2012

Today was simply another bread day that strongly challenged my patience. Through judgemental comments, lack of help, and tiredness, I was still able tomake it through the day. It is also extremely motivating in the fact that tomorrow is our day off and we get to go to town. Thats really what Eric and I live for from week to week haha.

Today was the first day of 2 weeks of prayer here on campus. They have never done anything like this from my understanding, but they are excited to try it. I think it is a great idea. Especially because the majority of the children here are not Christians, much less Adventists. These kids need Jesus love so much.

Just to let everyone know, the main reason these children are here is because of abuse from their families. A lot of the children have been through physical abuse but by far the biggest problem that I have seen is that majority of these children have been sexually abused. I knew that sexual abuse can mentally scare people and cause them to fear, or feel worthless and to have other feelings. But what I didn't know is that it completely destroys the meaning and sanctity of sex. Many of these kids have simply accepted sex as something they just do. Therefore it is something that we are constantly needing to be aware of and paying attention to. Tricky part is, it is not good enough to separate the boys and girls.....

Monday Oct. 15, 2012

Again, I do not usually write on Monday's but today is another exception. Today Eric and I hit the road around 7:30 and were able to hop on the back of a couple guys' truck to go into town. It was surprisingly a very comfortable drive. Once we got to Narguilla's though, I could not for the life of me get my computer to work. The mouse was acting up as it has a few times since I've gotten it. But what do you expect when I'm working with a PC! I went to an electronic shop to see if I could buy a mouse, but the cheapest one was 150 B's. Thats WAY too much for a silly mouse. So I went back to Narguillas, kept restarting and doing some sweeps, but nothing was helping until I decided to do a big long sweep of my computer that takes over an hour. So while it was doing that, I went to an internet cafe next door to get online.

The scariest thing about my computer breaking down on me is that all my photos are on here and my entire blog. And at one point, my computer wouldn't even turn on. It was literally dead. So natually this was terrifying for me. But the big Guy upstairs had me covered and everything worked out. I still do not have word on my computer anymore because that got fried. But I atleast have this notepad thing which should work hopefully.

blog problems....

i am currently having some computer issues. i have typed up my entire blog, but my computer is not letting me retrieve it.  so hopefully i can work it out by this evening or you will have to wait for a double dose next week. You can also check out Eric's blog which is www.miboliviaadventura.blogspot.com

lake week



Headed to the lake
 

Tuesday Oct. 2,2012

                Today was my first day being a professor! I woke up this morning being a little nervous and being excited at the same time. My class was at 10:30 and I had yet to make a lesson plan.  But one thing was for sure, I was going to look like a real professor. I dressed up in a yellow button up with some docker style pants and was all tucked in looking like a champ (even though I am a complete amateur) .

                The class period was only for 45 minutes, but for someone that has never taught and does not speak the language of the kids, can be an eternity. I had the 3^rd and 4^th grade class for the next 45 minutes and will have them every week until December. But class wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t great, but it could have been a lot worse. I started out by teaching them all of the body parts to the song “heads, shoulders, knees, and toes”. They seemed to have fun with that. I then taught them a few other body parts in order to sing another song that I learned when I was in elementary school 3 or 4 years ago.

                But it was by no means easy. Especially when they are trying to figure out how much they can get away with. I was fortunate enough to have Eric helping me today. I feel like either one of us alone would have been eaten alive, especially me. Some boys decided that they didn’t want to learn or participate and wanted to distract others. So Eric and I punished them according to school standards which is issuing an “X”. after 3 “X’s”, they either loos recess or some other form of punishment that is not up to me.  Overall, I am excited about the class, but I am also very nervous. I have never thought about being a teacher before, and I’m not sure how good I am/will be at it. But we will find out soon enough!



                Today was also a bread day. So after class, Eric and I changed and went to the cocina to meet up with the new volunteer Stephen. bread days are always long, no matter who you do it with. It is always super exhausting.



our 3 hour trip to the lake

                Later this evening, nothing happened other than a faculty meeting where we talked about some field trip that they want to take this Thursday. However, some are opposed to it as it is a 3 hour bumpy drive in an even worse truck. They are wanting to take us to a lake that is known to have anaconda’s and crocodiles. Eric and I agree that it is a terrible idea and that it is not worth the risk of the kids. However, we are both excited to go (in spite of the dreadful drive).

 

Wednesday Oct. 3, 2012

                Today was not too terribly exciting. It was simply another long day of making bread. Wednesdays are not usually bread making days, but the orphanage has just officially decided today that we are going on an outing tomorrow. So they need enough bread to feed the children on the trip.
                The outing has been talked about for several weeks now, but until today, nothing was finalized or ready. They are wanting to go to lake reyes which would normally sound fun to everyone, except for the fact that it is a 3 hour drive in the bed of a truck similar to a dump truck. Furthermore, there is one volunteer here who has been here for several years now, but used to work for another organization that went to this lake once per year. She was only there for a few years because literally, every year that she went, 2 children died via anaconda or crocodile attacks in the water.

                They have asked Eric and I to go as supervision for any animals and for the children sneaking off together. We gladly accepted as we like adventure. But both of us agree that it is not a wise decision to go at all. If there is any risk of danger to the kids, it is not worth it. Neither Eric or I think we will be getting in the water. At least not very far. Weare leaving tomorrow morning at 6 am. So it will be interesting to see what happens and how it goes.

                Today’s bread adventure was pretty normal with the exception of our new bread helper with his quirks. There is never a normal day with him. Again, he is super nice, just very hard to work with and enjoy being around. However, I did learn how to make Ciabata  bread today. So I am very excited to start making and eating that!

                I did have a little bit of a scare today concerning my plate and silverware for eating. Everyone has their own bowl and silverware that they use for every meal. However, I have a pretty fancy spoon and fork and knife that are all in one and fold up like a pocket knife. It is pretty nifty and the kids seem to think that it is pretty great. However, since we spend all day in the kitchen on bread days, I brought my bowl with me and set it on the table. However, when dinner came around, it was gone! I was getting very frustrated, 1 because I figured it was stolen, and 2 because I had nothing else to eat with. After asking several different people, and accusing others in my mind, I searched my house and found that I had brought it back earlier. So that kind of taught me a lesson in itself. Well that’s all I have for today, I better get some sleep.

Thursday Oct. 4, 2012

                Today is a very long, adventurous, fun day. Just last night, they decided that they wanted to take ALL of the children on an outing to a lake. Originally it was just going to be the older kids. This means that we would have about 100 people in the back on a truck. Fortunately, they decided to rent a truck from someone in Rurr. However, this truck was still way too small for the amount of people that were going. It was so jam pack in there. Have you ever seen those chicken coup trucks they have in the States where they put hundreds of chickens in tiny cages that look miserable? Well we were those chickens today. For three hours. Standing up.

                But it worked out because the lake was small, but very pretty and we all swam and didn’t have any incidents. The kids absolutely loved it. They continually wanted to sit on my shoulder, do chicken fights, or simply have me throw them in the air. These kids are so much fun to play with, even though they can be exhausting sometimes. But there was a long pier that we jumped off, and we played volleyball in the water and American football on the shore.

                After lunch, we decided to head back a little early because it looked like it was going to rain. And we most certainly did not want to be out in the pouring down rain in the back of a truck smashed together for 3 hours. But thankfully the rain held up most of the time for our drive back. Since we left early, we stopped at a pretty decent soccer field and all got out and played futbol for about 2 hours. However, there were some wild pigs, chickens, and roosters that we had to chase off the field a few times. It was so much fun and these kids are so good! It is very fun to play with them, even though they make me look awful!

                Once we got back to the orphanage, we all pretty much were exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. So that is exactly what I am about to do right now!

 

Friday Oct. 5, 2012

                Happy 1 month anniversary! Eric and I have now been here exactly one month. Only 8 months left to go! We didn’t really do a whole lot today. We simply made bread today. However, we wanted to be a little fancy so we decided to make pita bread. This was very interesting and good to know. The bread actually turned out REALLY well. Half of the bread we made with regular flour, and the other half, we made with kinowa seeds.  I have to saw, both were extremely delicious!
                That afternoon, I realized that it was Friday night, and that only means one thing, chocolate and rice soup……blah. So I decided to do something that I was hoping to hold out for Thanksgiving, I busted open a can of Big Franks (vegetarian hot dogs) I shared them with Eric, Erin, and Annie. All of whom were completely and utterly surprised and excited! It is like an Adventists dream come true to have Big Franks in a foreign country. We even used the pita bread as a bun. It was a wonderful meal to begin the Sabbath.

Saturday Oct. 6 2012

                Today was one of the longest days since I have been here. Eric, Annie, and I had to wake up at 4:30 in order to cook breakfast for the 100 or so people here. Not going to lie, it was a pretty darn good breakfast, we cut up fresh watermelon, papaya, pineapple, and bananas and made a fruit salad and gave out some more pita bread. Lunch was a little more involved. We decided that we wanted to make humus and some other stuff for lunch. This was hardly successful.  We were nowhere near ready finishing it before everyone was done with church. So we did what I think they do for every meal here, we just mixed everything together and made some sort of filling type stuff for the pita. We had carmelized onions, tomatoes, Garbonzo and Kidney beans, Scrambled eggs, garlic, and some salt. It actually turned out really well and was super tasty.

                However, I was barely able to eat any of it. I felt completely drained and weak. I could not even palate the food and I was starting to sway when I stood up. So once we finished, I came to my room and just passed out for a couple hours. But when I woke up, I thought I would feel better, but I felt 10 times worse. My whole body was aching and laying down longer just made things feel worse. So I got out of bed and sat in a chair for about 30 minutes. This seemed to help a little bit. But not much. After this 30 minutes or so, the posy (eric, erin, and annie) came over and just started singing and playing the ukulele outside of my window. I thought it was pretty funny and it helped me forget a little bit of how I was feeling. The rest of the day, I have just been trying to relax and feel a little better. Hopefully after a good night sleep I will.

                Tomorrow I will be driving the big truck for the first time into town. Lizelle (the girls dean) heard that I can drive stick shift and asked me if I would drive her and her class to town so they can do some homework at an internet café in town. Of course I said yes! I get to drive, I get to avoid making bread, and I get to go to town! What’s not to be excited about?!?!?  So hopefully tomorrow I will feel a lot better and hopefully I don’t make a fool of myself driving this monster!

Sunday Oct. 7, 2012

                Today was my big debut with driving a truck load of people down dirt roads that are extremely bumpy and sometimes windy. I actually didn’t do too bad. The shifter is quite old and doesn’t always like to slip into gear which gave way for some interesting moments. But by far the scariest part was driving in town with people everywhere, narrow streets, and motorcycles flying by. Intersections are never fun either in that there is no such thing as stop signs, and it’s always a little bit of a chicken fight for who goes first. Thank goodness I was driving the biggest chicken in town!

                After I dropped the kids off, it became a pretty relaxed day where I didn’t do too much other than surf the web and run a couple of errands. But I was able to talk to my family and girlfriend today which was super nice. It’s always fun and encouraging to talk to them. Once I got back, I watched the kids for a couple of hours until we all went to sleep.

Monday Oct. 8, 2012

                I don’t usually include Mondays on my blog which is because I usually spend it just sitting in Narguila’s stuffing my face and adding to my blog! However, today was a little different. I had fallen asleep around 11 at night but was woken up right at 1 AM. One of Eric’s children was sent over to my house to get me and said that Eric was sick and needed me as soon as possible. So I jumped out of bed not knowing what I was going to see when I got over there. When I walked in, Eric looked as if he was dead. He had no energy, was pale, and could barely move or talk. He told me that he had been in the bathroom for 3 hours straight and was being completely drained.

                He was not able to keep anything down at all. Everything he drank came right back up 5 minutes later. I told Erin (who was also called over) that I thought we needed to take him to the hospital to get in IV. Then a few minutes later he told me that he was freezing which I knew was a bad sign because trust me, it’s NEVER cold here. That’s when I told Juan that we needed to get the truck and get going. That’s about the time Melissa got there. She first asked him several questions, and then made the guess that he had salmonella. I don’t think that she is a nurse, but apparently, salmonella is pretty common over here, especially amongst the gringos. So after we all agreed that he needed to be taken in, we loaded him up and made the long trek into town.

                When we got into town and arrived at the clinic, they were initially closed. But we knocked several times until they opened the door and saw Eric. That’s when they decided that they were going to be open. It was about 1:30 when we arrive to the clinic. The doctor came out and was dressed in jean shorts and a sleeveless shirt. He looked smart, but it didn’t take me long to remember that we were still in Bolivia, not the great U.S. of A. I asked Juan if this was the best place to come and he said that it is by far the best place. The staff at the clinic are familiar with familia feliz and are a lot more hospitable. This all turned out to be correct, they even offered me a bed next to eric for the night. So after a few hours of probing, some vomit, some runs, some blood, and some IV, he was finally able to fall asleep for a brief time around 3:30 am. But that was short lived as he woke up about an hour later with more of the same. And that was the pattern of the morning. However, he did tell me that after having the IV for a while, he was beginning to feel stronger and a lot better. He was even starting to get some of his color back. The doctor confirmed for us that it was salmonella.

                Fortunately, I was able to get in touch with Eric’s mom shortly after we arrived to the clinic. So his parents were aware of what was happening.  The doctor says that he wants to keep eric one more night to observe him to be on the safe side. So keep him in your prayers.

 

You stay civilized…..planet Earth!!!!

Adventure weekend!

At the Toma with my boys

Monday Sept. 25, 2012

                Mondays are officially now the best days of the week. This is because it is Eric and I’s day off! It starts off so beautiful, we get to sleep in! Well, at least until about 6 am. Today, after we got up, we met at the road at 7:30 to hitchhike into town. This can take a while as 1) we have to select our drivers carefully and get someone who is not the creepiest looking person in all of Bolivia and 2) there are not that many cars on that road. Fortunately today, I only had to wait for about 30-45 minutes for a car.
                After making the 30 minute drive into town, I immediately called my dad to check in and see how he was doing and to touch base. Following our conversation, I went off into town to take care of a few errands such as buying headphones, movies for the kids, and of course, snacks. I had a couple of other things to do but I cannot remember the rest.
                After I finished my errands, and Eric finished his, we then went to the “hotspot” in town, Narquila’s. It is a small restaurant that has amazing food and even better smoothies! The fresh fruit smoothies are really why we go there. Whenever I drink them, it is like a party in my mouth! And just an added bonus, they give free internet to any of their customers. So needless to say, most of our day is spent here blogging and messaging friends.
                After a while I decided to make a phone call that became the high point of my day. I called me grandma. She was so excited to hear from me and it took her by total surprise. It is always good to talk to her and her excitement alone made the call worth it.
                I guess I am starting to develop a little bit of a beard because shortly before we started heading back to Familia Feliz, Erin started to make a “rap” about my beard (it needs some work).  As of now it is far from being out of control, but hopefully in 9 months, it will look like I have an afro growing out of my face! Haha gross right? Well that was the end of our day.

 Tuesday Sept 26, 2012

                This morning started out like any other. Wake up at 5:30, have worship, lay back down for 20 minutes or so, then find out what I’m going to do that morning. This morning, we were to go to the plant farm and water all the plants. We are done working at the chaco because they have now planted seeds for rice. In order to water the plants, the dump truck size truck we have loads up with barrels of water from the river then drives to the plant farm where we lug it by hand to all the different plants. As we move down the farm watering, SOMEBODY needs to drive the truck. And since I was the only one there at the time that knows how to drive stick shift, I got the honor. That was pretty exciting as it is by far the biggest thing I have ever driven.  I was pretty confident in my driving skills until I had to drive a little ways away to the tomato farm and then mess with the reverse. That’s when I got a little nervous backing up that monster. It would be my luck that the first time I drive it, a kid darts behind the truck and I hit them. Needless to say, I was pretty cautious.
                Today was also the second day that Eric and I made bread. We will be starting to make bread 3 times each week but we will only have help today and the next time, so we better learn quick! We were ferociously taking notes trying to get everything right. Fortunately, we did. The bread turned out amazing. Eric and I even made 2 personalized bread shapes. A “C” for chad, and Eric made a man.
                While we were going through the bread making process, Geraldo asked me if I would like to give the sermon this week for church. I immediately laughed. Me? Public speaking isn’t exactly one of my favorite things to do. Especially when it’s a sermon and I only have a couple days to prepare. So I am taking a rain check on becoming a professional farmer, baker, AND preacher at the same time.

Later that evening, they called a staff meeting. This was an interesting time for Eric and I as we just sat there and listened to a bunch of Bolivians talk to each other super-fast in Spanish. But that’s ok with us because that is how you learn….right? I have debated whether or not to tell this next story publically as I know some of the people reading this blog will be so appalled. However, it was embarrassing (which people tend to enjoy), and I would like to remember it in the future. So, this meeting was going super long and we were outside on uncomfortable benches and I had been around adults pretty much all day. So being the polite boy that I am, I retained all of my bodily needs. This needless to say built up a lot of pressure and eventually becomes very uncomfortable. So there I was, sitting on a wooden bench, in pain, trying to hold things in at this faculty meeting, when all of a sudden, the flood gates of heaven bursted open. Yep, very embarrassing. And it is not like doing it in front of your friends or family, because some of these people I’m still trying to make first impressions with. But what can you do other than laugh it off.

Wednesday Sept. 27, 2012

It was a long night as shortly after the meeting the night before, it began to pour down rain. It wasn’t just raining cats and dogs, it was raining lions and Billy goats! It was raining so hard that it was coming through our thickly thatched roof and getting me wet on the top bunk. So Joel and I got out of bed and moved my things as water was accumulating on the floor, and moved our bunks over. Come to think of it, this paragraph should probably be under Tuesday and not Wednesday. Oh well.

So this morning, we did our morning routine, however, since it had rained so hard, we could not work in the field and the plants were already watered! So I talked to Max, the guy I work under, and he said that there was no work! So while the kids were at school, I went straight back to sleep! It was dandy! Later that day I was talking to Erin and she mentioned that we should drive up the road a ways and buy some coconuts from this guys field. So we ran the idea by Joy, and she was ok with it as long as we took the girls dean Liselle and a few of her girls a little farther up to help one of her friends watermelon fields. So we thought that would be ok. But it turns out that it’s a massive field of watermelons. We ended up picking and moving over 1000 watermelons. It was insane. But at least they let us eat as much of that fresh goodness as we wanted.  They also gave us about 50 or 60 small ones to keep and to use for Sabbath. From there, we went to pick coconuts. They were gorgeous. There were tons of palm trees with green and brown coconuts. I purchased 20 for myself not knowing if I would like fresh coconut or not. The reason I bought 20 was because they are only 1 B$ each which is less than 15 cents.

Later in the evening, at 7:30, we had our Wednesday night worship. Since there was no power, we brought a bunch of candles into the church and had a candlelight  service which I actually like even better. It was mostly singing, and then a short thought by one of the kids, group prayer, and sing more. Poor little Limbar beside me was fighting so hard to stay awake, but he just couldn’t do it and fell asleep right on my side.
                Oh, and before I forget, when it rains as hard as it did last night, it usually knocks out the water. So we have not had any running water today. And we do not know when the water will be turned back on. Eric and Juan (the father he is living with) are going up to the Toma which is out water source and a few hour hike away in order to see if they can fix it. It’s not as easy as just calling a company to come and fix it. And then to top it off, the generator broke today. So we have no power on campus. So hopefully we can fix that tomorrow too!
                Today ended nicely though as Joel showed me how to cut, skin, and puncture a coconut correctly. The water/milk inside was absolutely amazing. It was as if I was on vacation at a resort. It was simply heavenly. We then cut it open and ate the coconut meat out of it. But now it is time for bed. My eyes closing, and I am drifting off to a glorious sleep.

Thursday Sept. 27, 2012

Today was a very long day. It started out ok in that after I sent the kids off to school, I was able to take a little nap, have my daily devotions and relax. But then at noon, it was bread making time. Today was also the last day that we would get help doing it. But really, we didn’t get any help because Carmen just wanted to watch us today and see if we knew what we were doing. All we had to do was follow the instructions right? Wrong. Today they wanted to add Kinoa seeds to the bread. This wasn’t so bad. But what really threw us into a frenzy was that the only yeast available to us was old and no good, and that the water was still not working. So, it turned out that we made communion bread with the dirty water in the creek which has human excretions in it. Furthermore, Carmen said that we did not have time to boil the water in spite of Eric and I’s request. I have to say though, that was the best darn communion bread that I have ever had. It took all of 6 hours and 30 minutes to bake this bread. We were so done with it by the end. But at the end of the day, we were able to fall asleep very quickly because we were exhausted.

 Oh, and Eric was especially tired because his house was responsible for fixing the water. So he and Juan walked 2 hours up to the Toma in the heat, then fixed the water, then walked 2 hours back just in order to make bread. Fortunately they were able to fix the water pipes, but it still takes 1 day to fill the tanks before the faucets start to work again. So we will see how accurate that statement is.

Friday Sept. 28, 2012

                I thoroughly enjoyed today. I was able to sleep in quite a bit today as was Eric. Neither of us got up until about 9 am. We then decided that we wanted to eat some flavor filled coconuts. The guy that we usually ask about what we need to do for the day’s work was not here today. So what did we do? Haha that’s right, nothing. But neither did anyone else. So we were not alone. Today also happened to be Erin’s birthday, so she was chased around, eggs thrown at her, dumped in the water, and tackled. Glad my birthday doesn’t happen while I’m here! But the kids had a blast with her.
                Before Eric and I went off to enjoy our coconuts, Erin brought all of her school kids out and had them give Eric and I a private concert of songs that she had taught them. They sang about 4 different songs in English and were so excited that they could. It was a lot of fun and brought joy to our faces.

                The loss of water continues, well, at least for my house. Eric’s house is a little lower than mine and has had water all day long. But my house sits a little higher and we have yet to get water. So, I am on day 3 without a shower. And that is 3 days of sweating and being filthy from cooking and walking around in sandals. If I don’t shower soon, I think my skin is going to begin to stain! So let’s cross our fingers for water tomorrow.

                2 more people got here to the orphanage today. 1 girl, has been here for a couple months but had to leave for a couple weeks to get her ID card in Santa Cruz which Eric and I will have to do in about 2 months. She will be here for another couple of months until December. Then she will be gone just like Joel, Erin, and Calvin. Things will get pretty quiet around here. The other person that showed up today was a guy who loves to make bread.He is extremely nice, and intelligent. But he is one of those guys who just keep talking and talking and can be a little tiring. In talking to Joy later, it sounds like he was not even asked by Familia Feliz to come here he just showed up. So Eric and I’s job for the day was to keep him entertained and give him a tour of the place because Joy was busy.

                In talking with him, we found out that he is a baker and has even been to baking school. this provides a good learning opportunity. He is very insistent on his ways and that he has bread down to a science. Even though everyone here has loved the way that the bread has always been cooked here. He is very big into weighing and being precise and using the best, most healthy ingredients.  Neither of which is the highest priority here. Especially the weighing aspect which he is HUGE on. He went on and on about how we need special scales to measure exactly how much we need to add of everything. Needless to say, he will help to build Eric and I’s patience and to build our character.

                The night ended with a surprise party for Erin because it was her birthday. Eric was actually the one to pull everything together. There were balloons, pizza (a delicacy here), cake (an EXTREME delicacy), and fruit punch. She was completely surprised and loved it. Especially the amazing pizza that Emmy (Juan’s wife made).

Saturday Sept. 29, 2012

                This morning we got to sleep in a couple extra hours because after all, it is the day of rest! But we were still at church by 9:00 for early service, stayed there at 10:00 for Sabbath School, then 11:00 for church. It’s basically a 3 hour service.

Unfortunately, Eric was about half way to church before he had to turn around because he felt super sick. He was then in bed for the rest of the day. It was probably from some of what we ate the night before.
                After church, I had forgotten that I promised my kids that I would take them to the Toma. The Toma is a watering hole that is a 2 hour walk and is the source of our water on campus. So although I was very tired, I took them up there and I’m sure glad I did! On the way we walked through fresh fruit farms where they had bananas, plantains, pineapple, papaya, lemons, oranges, and others . On our way up there, since it was a super hot day, we stopped at a small watering hole on the way to soak our clothes in water for the hike ahead.

The hike was so amazing. Apart from the delicious fruit that we saw everywhere, I saw about 10 macaws, and heard about a billion more. But the journey was not all bliss. I had heard rumors about the ants here in Bolivia and how the stings of certain kinds can bring a man to his knees. I believed that it was bad, but not that bad. So as luck would have it, as I reached for an orange, 2 of these infamous ants landed on me, 1 on each shoulder. And let me tell you something my fellow Americans, these ants, make fire ants look like ladybugs. It was such a terrible feeling and the rumors were true, I went straight down to the ground in pain. Especially because I got hit with a double dose. The stinger from the ant on my right shoulder was stuck in my arm. And as a side note,  I was wearing a shirt. So these ants went through cotton and pierced my flesh like a 2 year old trying to insert an IV. Needless to say, my shoulders began to swell almost immediately.

After the attack, the rest was wonderful. My kids were very well behaved, for the most part. They even helped me spot some of the birds and fruits. And once we got to the Toma, it was swim time. It was SO hot and the water felt amazing! It was a small waterfall with the water coming all the way up to my neck at the deepest point. We had so much fun. Some of the boys went fishing for little fish, others swam, and others grilled some of the plantains that we picked on the way up. It was such a good Sabbath afternoon and we will be going back for sure!

That evening there was yet another surprise party only this one was for Melissa because it was her birthday. Melissa is the founder of Familia Feliz and has been here for about 6 years. Yet again, it was good food, good  drink, and even better people. But this meal was to be my downfall…..

Sunday Sept. 30, 2012

                Today was our adventure day with Lizandro. He is taking us to Madidi National Park. Eric and I were both really excited. Esprecially because he told us that it would be free! Granted, this is the guy that tried to steal my only pair of sweatpants. I think I told that story earlier? Anyway, he asked if he could borrow my sweatpants for a skit and me not knowing anything about him other than he works at the orphanage, said yes. After I let him borrow them, I heard from 4 different people that I should NEVER let him borrow anything…..GREAT. But I ended up drilling him for them back.

                But back to the story. We were planning on waking up at 5:30 this morning and trying to get a taxi by 6. However, mother nature was furious and I was up at 3:30 with the most terrible pain in my stomach. I don’t think I have ever hurt that much in my stomach. But that is when my sickness began and many a fluid was lost. But I’ll be darned if I let it stop me from going to Madidi! Fortunately, Eric was just getting over his sickness, so he was feeling a little better. Somehow, once we got to the road, we got extremely lucky and saw a taxi first thing (its not uncommon to wait for an hour or more)! This allowed us to have about an hour in town before we caught a boat taxi to meet Lizandro on the other side of the river. Which was great because every Sunday there is a Sunday market set up along the river. So we explored there for a bit. Somehow, we found a stand where they were selling a ton of Adventist literature. They had bibles, ellen white, and hymnals. So Eric and I each bought a hymnal as they like to sing a TON at the orphanage. After an hour, we caught the boat taxi and met Lizandro.

                Once we met with him, he took us to his house. And worked out the finances of our trip. Yep, what do you know, it wasn’t free like he told us it would be. Fortunately we still got a really good deal and it was only 60 B’s each for us which is about $9 for an all day trip. It was a little annoying that we had to even pay that though. It also worried us a little bit about his integrity and what he was going to be doing with us. But everything worked out. He took us down to the dock where we got in this big canoe thing with a motor and went up the river through the mountains for about an hour and a half. We passed such amazing scenery. It just shows the majesty of what God has created for us to enjoy. After an hour and a half, we arrived at some park police station and then Lizandro took us up into the jungle and showed us a small waterfall. Other than some birds, we unfortunately didn’t see many animals. But it was still beautiful and a pretty tiring hike.
                After we finished the hike, the boat ride back was only an hour because we were going with the current this time. This entire excursion was just me, eric, lizandro, and the driver. It was perfect. The only time we had other people was about 10 minutes before we got back, some people flagged us down because they needed a ride. So then it got a little packed. But it wasn’t for too long.

      Once we got back to Rurre, where else would we go other than Narguilla’s? Sipped back some pineapple smoothie and had a real meal as all the fluids I was drinking and food I was eating was passing straight through me all day or sometimes not even passing, just coming right back up. It made the day a little miserable, but I was still able to appreciate the beauty.  It was kind of nice because Sundays are Erin’s day off, so we ran into her and were able to hang out with her some. Then the 3 of us caught a taxi back to Familia Feliz later that night. This weekend was jam packed with adventure!

You stay civilized…..planet earth!