Wow, it’s been about 2 months since my last blog entry and what a quick couple months it’s been. Time is more or less snow-balling here as I have about 4 months left in this adventure. It may seem like a lot of time, but seeing how fast it’s been going so far, it’ll be over before I know it. I can’t begin to describe all of the experiences and things I’ve learned so far in my journey… but I guess I should try.

Just the other day one of my beneficiaries pulled me aside at the end of the day with tears in his eyes. I was a little taken aback and wasn’t sure what the problem was at first, so I asked. I don’t really know how to share in words what happened next, but he wanted to wish me a merry Christmas and tell me he thought of me as an older brother and won’t forget me. He said this because the next day his family was going to come and pick him up from the house and odds are we would never see each other again. I still can’t believe that this happened, and I think one day it will really hit me, but I think it’s a moment that makes this entire experience worth-while. To know that I’ve had such an impact on one person fuels the fire to go and continue to help the next person that’s in front me. But the thing is, I don’t even want this to be a conscious act (or acts) that I do, I want it to be a part of me – of who I am. For this reason I pray every day that God will pour out his Spirit on me; because it’s this Spirit that characterizes all of the things that I want to become and what I want others to see in me.

Changing gears for a moment, my mom and brother got to come and visit me for Christmas which was definitely an encouragement to me. We had a non-stop schedule almost from the moment that they landed. I was able to show them around La Paz as well as the Arco Iris projects. I could definitely tell that there was an impact made on them because one, my mom was emotional, and two, my brother was very quiet for most of the trip. The first may not be so odd, but if you know my brother, he usually makes things a lot of fun. I think mainly it was a culture shock and time is needed to process such things! I feel blessed that we had the means to share this experience - I won't just come back and have no one who (at least somewhat) understands what I have experienced. We also got to Copacabana on a two day vacation and got to see the world's highest navigable lake - which was truly breathtaking. To see the Andes mountains surrounding such beautiful blue water - and of course spending the time with at least part of my family - was priceless. Needless to say the Christmas experience was waaaay different than normal but great nonetheless. Why? Because it was ALL about being with family. Who cares about what's coming to you and what you've bought for someone when you are TRULY grateful for the family you have surrounding you - especially when you want to soak in the limited time you have with them! 

Perhaps I'll start blogging normally here in the future but this is a VERY brief summary of some major things that have happened in December.

Sickness...

So I have been sick all this week with what looks to be E. Coli... Yeah, that's right, E. Coli. Sure it could possibly be some other little devious bug or micro-organism, but rest assured it has to do with somebody’s poop and somehow me ingesting it... Great visual, right?! 

Since Monday (today is Thursday) I have been fighting to get healthy and it hasn't been easy. Monday was the inception and definitely the worst day. I felt crappy when I woke up and had a feeling that I knew what was around the corner. I went to work anyway (somehow went the entire 45 min bus ride with out throwing up) where I didn't actually get to do any work. When the doctor got in she saw me right away. She gave me some injection - of which I still don't know what it was - and then they had me try and rest and drink some tea. But unfortunately things got worse fast and they gave me some oxygen... but I don't think it did anything for me. The doctor and nurse (and even the dentist) told me I should go to the hospital, but do you really think I went?? Eventually I got the guts to go home, which meant another 45 minute bus ride home. And somehow... not quite sure how... but somehow by the grace of God I made it back home just in time to puke in the toilet. Or almost the toilet... well mostly the toilet. I may have missed a little. I felt OK for a little but then the strange stuff started happening. Weird and painful things started happening in my stomach and my hands and feet were asleep - dead asleep. I remained in this state of crappiness, slept off and on, until about 5 am when I could feel my extremities again. I know it was about 5 am because that's when I got up to deal with the diarrhea... The next few days (up until now) I have been battling stomach pains and a serious lack of energy. I went to work Wednesday - which was a bad idea - and now today I am back in bed under doctor's (Kevin's) orders.

This is 4th time that I've been seriously ill in less than 3 months. And, no, I don't count having diarrhea as being sick. If that's all I had to deal with then, well, you wouldn't get to hear all about this wonderful blog I'm posting. I have never been this sick in my entire life. Annually I may deal with a cold back home but that's about it. Being here has really been testing my physical makeup. I can't help but wonder why - or for what purpose - I keep getting sick here. I don't want to leave this place before my expected date, but if my body keeps taking a beating like it has, I might have to cut short  my time here.

I think I blogged some about the second time I got sick - when I stayed in the hospital. Getting sick 2 more times since then really has opened my eyes to a couple things. 1. That we are so lucky in the states that we can eat wherever we want to and don't even have to give a second thought to whether we will get sick or not. And 2. Perseverance and sacrifice have totally new meanings.

I have to give a lot of love and recognition to my parents for encouraging me through the difficult times and giving me a perspective that I am eternally grateful for and hope I never lose. My mom sent me this the other day and I wanted to share it with everyone. It's a blatant reminder of the importance of being a living sacrifice if you consider yourself a Christian and has encouraged me in my purpose here - especially since I've been sick:

Living Sacrifice:

As Christ sacrificed himself and then rose to life again, we must die so that we may live. We do this by "crucifying" the desires of our will and following the will of God (Mark 10:28-30). We sacrifice ourselves by living for Christ each day (Romans 12:1-2, 1 Peter 2:5). When Jesus prayed, "Not my will, but thine be done" (Luke 22:41-44), he showed us that the will of the flesh must be subject to the will of the Spirit. Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow him (Luke 9:23-26). This means that we willingly bear the burden of serving Christ (Colossians 3:17, Philippians 4:6). Our body and our spirit oppose one another (Romans 8:5-7). The one that prevails is the one we make stronger. The Apostle Paul taught that all Christians must crucify their flesh with the affections and lusts (Galatians 5:24). Through sacrifice and devotion, we strengthen the spirit and weaken the flesh. For example, the exhortations we receive from our pastors and their sermons feed our soul and to make us spiritually strong (Jeremiah 3:15, Ephesians 4:12, 2 Timothy 2:1-7). If we do not use the means to nourish our soul, we will become spiritually weak and, eventually, deceived (Hebrews 10:25, Hebrews 3:13, Luke 21:36). If we sacrifice our own will as Christ sacrificed his, others will see the testimony of Christ in us (1 Thessalonians 4:1-7, 5:21-22). To establish this testimony, we must allow God's will to guide all of our thoughts and actions (Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 3:5-7). Other people see our testimony and judge the God we serve by the lifestyle and examples they see in us (1 Peter 2:9-11, Matthew 5:14-16, 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, Daniel 3:23-29). If we maintain a sacrificial life in all we do, we will be an example to others and will always be ready to meet the Lord in peace (2 Peter 3:11-14). Jesus lived a life of sacrifice his entire life, not just at his death. Apostle Paul spoke of how he died daily (1 Corinthians 15:31, John 12:24-25). Likewise, we must offer our sacrifices to God on a daily basis (Psalms 61:8, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18). We must pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), or we will fall into Satan's cunning traps (Luke 22:40). Unless we die daily, we cannot be alive in Christ and freed from our sins (Romans 8:1-14).

One cannot serve Christ and himself at the same time (Matthew 6:24); therefore, no self-righteous sacrifice will be accepted by God. We cannot sacrifice the flesh by glorifying it (Luke 18:9-14, Matthew 23:14). The prayers of self-righteousness are repulsive to God (Isaiah 58:1-4). The term "self-righteous" implies that we are trusting in our own righteousness and not God's. However, God cherishes the prayers of the righteous (Revelations 8:3-4). Our sacrifice and devotion to God will not compare to the reward we will receive when Jesus comes to take us home to be with him forever (Hebrews 6:10).

So there were a few questions that you guys left for me to respond to... so here goes:

My love life here in La Paz:
Que chistoso! I can't say that it exists! Although there are about 50 girls in Ninas Obrajes that like to call out my name and wave at me whenever the opportunity presents itself. I have been falling more and more in love with the kids here which has translated to falling more and more in love with God... or is it the other way around?? I'm not sure!

What do the kids do for fun here:
I'm not all too familiar with what the girls do here but the boys play a lot of sports and rough-house. They really are the same as kids anywhere else in the world. They want to be occupied doing something that stimulates them - if they could, they would watch tv and play on the computer whenever possible. Pretty much none of them take up reading as a past time and few take artistic initiative - although I do get to work with the ones who have more of that 'artistic side' in my project, which is great!

What's it like living with people from other parts of the world:
Honestly the same as living with any other person. Everyone brings something different to the table and some are more difficult to live with than others. The sheer number of people here makes life very interesting (I'm living with 10 others, which it makes it like a frat house) - there are many comforts and preferences between us all which can easily lead to clashes of lifestyle. 3 months in we are still working out the 'kinks', if you will, to make life here as pleasant for everyone as possible. But for the most part we know that we care for each other and we are each other's family away from home.

I hope that's a decent little overview... keep questions coming!

This past week we had Wednesday off because it was "Todos Santos" (all saints day). Here in Bolivia most people go to visit their loved ones at their grave sites - decorating and adorning the graves with what their loved one loved most in life. It's really quite interesting and a little erie to be honest. But since we (the volunteers) didn't have any graves to visit, we decided to make a hiking day to the Muela del Diablo right outside of La Paz. It was great exercise and we got to witness some great views of the entire city! Here are some of the pics for you, although they definitely don't do it justice. I got sunburned pretty good to get you these so please enjoy!

It's been a while! So much has been happening here - so many new experiences being accumulated! I don't know where to start...

I think I have officially transitioned into life here. Sure I think about life back home often but my head and heart are here in Bolivia. I've been becoming closer and closer to the beneficiaries here which makes everything worthwhile. My Spanish is improving every day and I am now taking classes once a week to help further my education in a more structured way. I think I would be officially fluent by now if I wasn't living with all of the volunteers - because we tend to speak in our native tongue when together and not Spanish so much. Who can blame us though?? There's something to be said for commonality when everything around you is so different than you.

Anyways, on to some more interesting stuff. A little update on the kids I wrote about a few weeks ago... Pedro has since run away from Casa de Paso - choosing to live elsewhere (on the street perhaps). It's sad but true. In fact we had 4 kids run away within 2 weeks of that blog update. But it's so matter-of-fact here, no one really dwells on it. I think the attitude taken here is that it's a privilege to live in the house and if they want to run away then that's there own fault. We just have to move on to the task at hand - which is to focus on the kids who continue to live there. Juan Carlos (John Charlie) is doing very very well in the house. He's working with me in Talleres full-time, helping the kids with whatever they need help with. To be honest he is a much better help than I am because he knows exactly what the kids want when they ask him!... Me on the other hand - not so much (It's still me who keeps the peace and makes sure the kids are where they're supposed to be though). He has such a kind and soft heart and I want to see him make the best of himself. As for Eric, his aunt came and took him away "improperly" from the house without doing any paperwork. He had shared with me in the past that he came to the house because of his drinking problem... I can only hope and pray that he doesn't fall back into that  same sort of life.

The other boys are doing well though and today we actually participated in a foundation wide "carrera" (which means race). I 'bout died - and the race was only about 2 kilometers! It's really hard to breathe here... especially when you're going uphill! We did have one boy who won for his division in Casa de Paso. I definitely came in last though for my division and to be honest, I'm ok with that. I'm just glad I survived! Later today I will play in the volleyball championship for Casa de Paso... last week we got spanked but hopefully we will represent a little better today. So needless to say, we are kept very busy here with lots of things to do - and that has a little bit to do with my late blog postings!

If there is anything specific that any of you would like to know about or would like me to write about, please leave a comment! It will make it a lot easier for me to blog if I have a subject! It's often very difficult to pick and choose what I want to write about because there's a lot that happens in a weeks time and things to write about often slip my mind. Thanks for reading!

Video blog

So here is a little vlog for your enjoyment. This, or something like it, will be used as the official HOPE clip for September. It lets you have a taste of some of things we've seen here. Enjoy!

So I wanted to share a little about a couple of the boys here. I snapped a few a shots of them (the don't really like to be photographed) this week so I thought it would be cool to highlight them. I don't think I have any (legal) limitations in sharing about them so here goes...

This is Erick. He's kind of a goof-ball as he likes to joke around and often times will put himself in harms way for a laugh. He's 16 years old and has lived on the street before coming to Casa de Paso. This is evidenced by the tattoos he has on his arms, hands and neck (although you can't see them here); as well as the scars on his chest from knife-fighting. He's a good kid though that seems to be grateful for his life in Casa de Paso.

This is Pedro and I think the expression on his face kind of sums up what he has been experiencing. I was actually able to sit in on a meeting with the coordinators of Casa de Paso and his grandma as they spoke to Pedro about his life decisions. He had made some bad decisions and was about to be kicked out of the Casa. It was an emotional meeting as he was in tears throughout. Since then I don't know if things have changed very much for him. He hasn't seemed to be going to school (Casa de Paso doesn't force the kids to go, although if they want to stay they will go) and hasn't appeared to be very happy either. I think this is because he is torn in his mind between doing the right thing that he knows he should or being the 'cool kid' and doing what he wants. He has a very strong tough guy mentality which I can only assume stems from something in his childhood (even though he is still only 14).

This is Juan Carlos or John Charlie or Chaupus - whichever you prefer. He is really quite the character with a lot of personality. He even knows a good bit of English... well a few words here and there that he likes to mix in with his Spanish to get a laugh out of me. He is the master manilla-maker (bracelet-maker) and has been teaching all the kids in Casa de Paso how to make some really cool bracelets (the kids actually make a little money off the ones they make). John Charlie has actually been in Project Calle before he came to Casa de Paso about 3 weeks ago. Basically that means that he was homeless and living on the street and was able to meet the certain 'requirements' to come into Casa de Paso. This doesn't happen very often as most of the kids on the street have a lot to overcome before they are allowed in (usually drug use and alcoholism). I don't know how long they will allow him to stay in the house as he is already 17 and doesn't attend school. For him his best bet is to find a job while he is in the house before he leaves. He still struggles with his habits of the street as he showed me some of his new found stolen treasures just today. It's hard to break some of the habits of the kids... but with time there is hope that they will all change.

In sharing a little about the kids I hope I can make it feel a little more real for you. It also gives you something specific to pray about if you would like to. Hopefully I will be able to let you know more about some of the other kids in the coming weeks.

What have I been blessed with?

So I was inspired by Kevin to write down the blessings of my life. The things I am grateful for would be another, albeit, similar list, but I wanted to share this one. At first I had hesitations with sharing this but I've decided that it's a big part of my life and has greatly influenced me to get to where I am today - and therefore should be shared. Besides, I wouldn't want to filter my life for all of you!

Anyways, my intention is simply to let you know about me and, in doing so, maybe encourage you to take the time to do the same.

In no real order... 50 blessings of my life:

1. My family and how we are able to truly love one another
2. Friends that God has given me - to encourage me, spur me on and make me laugh
3. I'm 'more than the sum of my past mistakes - I've been remade'
4. I've been able to see what real love looks and feels like
5. The experiences and trials that have made me who I am today
6. The mind God has given me - Always forward thinking and not looking back, dwelling on the past
7. The breath of life
8. Great health
9. Having more than I need - I even have what I want
10. Having been able to experience God's creation in nature in many settings
11. Having all of my senses to experience what this world has to offer
12. Chick-Fil-A - yes this is a blessing!
13. Living in a country where I can have what I want, when I want it
14. Living in a country where I can't have what I want, when I want it
15. Being able to serve people who really need my help
16. The ability to learn from people who have so much less than me
17. Being a part of God's church with connections all over the world
18. I no longer have to live for myself (and how freeing that is)
19. Being able to see people through God's eyes - eyes of love - and not my own
20. Ability to eat when I want to
21. Having a bed where I can be warm at night
22. Having water to drink that's clean
23. Having the ability to communicate with people who are thousands of miles away
24. Ability to learn a new language
25. Ability to connect with a new people
26. Being able to work with kids and connect with them and see them develop emotionally and spiritually
27. Graduating college
28. The fact that I own a mode of transportation
29. I own a cell phone
30. I know people who want me to be the best I can be
31. I live in a land of privilege and opportunity
32. I have more than 2 people who care about my well-being
33. I have a roof over my head
34. I own a laptop, DSLR, digital camera, smart phone and an ipod
35. My father has taught be love, honor and respect
36. I have had many great men influence me in a positive way in my lifetime
37. I have access to great healthcare
38. I have never had to fight in a war
39. I am free to worship as I please
40. I have enough clothes to wear something different every day of the week
41. I have parents who have been able to provide for me all of my life
42. I have been able to see what real poverty means
43. I have learned that complaining gets you nowhere in life - there's no reason for it
44. I have been given life - and I have the understanding to make something of it
45. I have hope for the future
46. I have lifetime goals that I am realizing at 23
47. I have learned money management and delayed gratification
48. I have had people care enough about me to invest in me
49. I have learned the value of humility and integrity - and they are something to always work at
50. I serve a God that is beyond understanding - A God of love

My address here in Bolivia, for those who have been asking for it:

Matthew Walker
Av. Burgaleta NR 265
Villa Copacabana
Casilla Postal 9841
La Paz, Bolivia

Just some thoughts

For some reason Monday mornings are the hardest time of the week for me. I wake up in the morning and my thoughts immediately go to wanting to be back home... in my own bed... where I'm comfortable. I don't allow that thought to last very long though - I can't afford to. It would be a long year if I did and I wouldn't be able to focus on what I came here to do. So you know what I do? I get my mind right. I spend time in prayer and I read to help me be inspired to face the day. But I would say that it's more like a time of pleading and searching for insight - and it always pays off. So far I have found one constant. Love. It's amazing how much we do to gratify our own desires and how little we really look to help others. Love is the one good thing in the world. I can't tell you how much I want to spread it around. I can't tell you how much I want that kid who has been abandoned by his parents and told by the world "you’re on your own" to feel love - my love. You may be reading this and say to yourself, "well that sounds kind of hoaky; exactly what someone in his position would say". My response would be that until you come and experience the raw need you will never understand. You can listen to stories, read books, and see the pictures but until you physically experience the need it can never fully make sense to you. In my short 23 years I've learned that love is everything. Without it there's no reason for life - there's no hope. Love is perfection. Because I've found this to be true I have to strive for it every day. So on Monday's when I wake up and want to be at home in the States, I remind myself that I'm here to love and that, in of itself, is a worthwhile cause to stay for one more day.

Now that I'm done with my dissertation I want everyone to know just how awesome it is being a part of the HOPE team here in Bolivia. I'm so humbled and grateful to be able to share this experience with these amazing people. It already feels like family here - I just wish I could spend time with them more often. On Sunday Kevin did a lesson at church on facing our giants in life - the things that seem too big to overcome. Of course this is a very applicable lesson to those of us who have just moved to another country for an extended period of time! There are a lot of obstacles to overcome! Later in the day we met for our now weekly HOPE team meeting and we all had the opportunity to share about our major obstacles – which was great because now we are all on the same page and all know what each other are dealing with. It’s definitely a battle here in every way possible (spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally) and I love it.

7 weeks now...

So I finally went to the Megacenter (which is a mall) here in La Paz. This is basically where western high class meets Bolivia - and it’s an interesting contrast. In fact, it’s a huge contrast. It’s like there is a line between civilizations. One minute I was in an area where there are people begging in the streets, people trying to sell fruits and vegetables on the sidewalk and people even trying to “sell themselves” on the corner; the next minute I’m in a clean and polished mall where there isn’t even a hint of the kind of people I just mentioned. It was all very weird to be honest. I even commented in the moment that I don’t know what I will do with myself when I get back home to the States. I’m already used to how the rest of La Paz works and, at the moment, I think I prefer it. You see how real life is on the streets and in the mall you just see people spending money (that they probably made at the expense of the people on the streets). It seems so obvious to me that ‘knowledge is power’ as I compare the two ways of life in my mind. Education makes all the difference in the world between the two worlds. It makes me want to help the youth I’m working with all the more – so they can enjoy the fruits of hard work and discipline later in life. Who knows if I really can make that much of a difference – but I will sure try.

Switching gears, I do have great news! I bought a football – yes, an American football! It’s a beautiful thing to behold. The best part about it is that I brought it to Casa de Paso and the kid’s faces lit up. They got together and picked teams just like back home and then they just went at it. It was definitely not football as we know it but it did have some resemblance - mostly the hitting and running into each other part. Being able to hit each other and test each other’s strength was what they were most interested in as they don’t usually get to do that when they play soccer. But anyways, to see all of their faces as they were playing was priceless. I can’t explain how happy I was to see them all so happy. I even took a few videos on the camera to try and capture this awesome experience.

Anywho, just a few thoughts to keep you updated with my life…

And a random picture of what it looks like in the morning as I go to my project:

Road of Death

I feel like my blog is about to slip into the same ol’ same ol’ kind of routine, so I hope to mix it up a little. 

So I almost died this weekend. For those of you who don’t know, the other volunteers and I decided it would be fun to bike the road of death in Bolivia. A great idea for us adventurous types who really want to experience all that Bolivia has to offer. I don’t think that I will ever be able to forget such a trip. The views were amazing to behold as we descended somewhere around 3000m in about 5 hours.

Obviously this means that there is a lot of downhill riding (well really all of it) at a pretty fast pace. Definitely enough to keep your heart pumping if you’re in to that sort of thing. As we descend with the mountains the climate changed and it changed fast! We started in the cold and arid mountains just east of La Paz and made our way down to a very green, humid and warm tropical area of Bolivia with our final destination being Coroico.

Getting ready to begin the adventure!

The curvy road that leads to the valley below

Now, they don’t call this the road of death for no reason. I can attest to this – because I almost died. Yea, that’s right, I was clumsy enough to fall over the edge of the cliff and almost plummet to my death. I, being the risk taker that I am, decided to stop too close to the edge and when I put my foot down (on what I thought was solid ground covered by grass)slipped right on over edge. No joke. Both me and the bike. So I fell about 5 feet and then slid another 5 before coming to a stop (about 5 more feet and I probably wouldn’t be writing this right now) and I did all of this while holding on to the bike – because hey… if I lived, I didn’t want to have to walk the rest of the way! But by the grace of God I stopped just in time. What’s more is that I didn’t even have a scratch on me. They rescued me and the bike (the bike first of course) by rope with pretty much no problems. Needless to say, everyone was a little shocked that it had happened – but for some reason I was hardly phased. My heart didn’t start beating out of my chest or anything. I just remained calm through the entire thing – which probably helped a lot. For some reason I just had a peace about me and I knew nothing terrible was going to happen to me. I knew it even as I was falling – it’s hard to even explain! I feel as though God’s got my back (although I won’t continue to crazy things like that anymore)!

Me being rescued

But the ride afterwards was great! Some of the best scenery you could hope for. When we were done with the bike ride the tour included a trip to a hotel in Coroico where we got to eat a great buffet had have a shower – even a pool to swim in if we wanted. The view from the hotel was perfection. I hope you enjoy the pics half as much as I enjoyed this trip. It was really a once in a lifetime experience! 

And yeah… I will be staying away from cliffs for a while… at least until Machu Pichu.

Hey look - 2 posts in 2 days! This weekend has been filled with new experiences and fun. First off, it's been fairly relaxing which is what I think my body is telling me it needs. I'm currently fighting a cold but what else is new? Fighting to stay healthy here will be one of my main battles; at least that's what I'm starting to see anyways...

So after spending part of Saturday morning with Sebi trying to get the internet to work permanently here in the flat (who knows if we can consider it a success??) we went out on the town. More specifically we went to what I guess is called "Calle Buenos Aires", where there is booth after booth crammed together and you can buy just about whatever you might want. The "aisles" are just wide enough for 2 people to fit through. This is definitely not a place for people who don't like crowds, tight spaces, and being crowded in tight spaces. I only took one picture and it doesn't do the street justice at all. I will probably get more because I imagine I will be returning to this area in the future - especially for the movies! Yes, they may be knock-offs but they are only .75US! I bought the original 3 Star Wars to help remind me of home and to remember those important life lessons! I also bought Aladdin (because it's a classic - duh), Fast Five (because I just want to be entertained) and a CD holder (to manage my now growing DVD collection). On the way back home I managed to find some good pizza - at least the best I've found so far in La Paz - to end out a good day.

And today was a cool day in La Paz too. Apparently the president has named it a holiday where no one (except for airport taxis and tourist buses) can drive their car until after 4pm. It was cool to be able to walk the streets of La Paz without trying having to try and dodge here and there to ovoid cars. Because of this holiday we had church in different parts of the city. Our group (which consisted of all of the HOPE volunteers) met about 3 miles from where I stay. The hike down wasn't so bad but who wants to walk 3 miles to get back home on a Sunday afternoon? You just want to sleep!

The service was great with Kevin leading it in English and Lin translating into Spanish as we went along. Afterward we got to just hang and try to speak Spanish while eating some food! Which of course was a lot of fun - including watching Kevin try to speak Spanish! The Americans exposed some of the youth here to peanut butter and jelly as well as peanut butter and honey. And of course they liked it! For all of them it was the first time they tasted peanut butter - I don't know how they've been able to live this long without it! Hopefully we will be able to continue to have a positive impact - especially when it comes to the more life and spiritual side of things - in the future. They really are a great bunch of people who care about others.

Around mid afternoon when we had to walk back I wasn't feeling too well... again. I felt like I just needed to rest but I had to make that trek back again! Of course I came back, had some coca tea (which cures all), and watched a movie. All in all a pretty good weekend I would say! Especially since the internet is still working and I can write this blog!

I miss you all back home...

Much can happen in a week!

Wow – I’m busy. So what’s happened since I’ve gotten back from the jungle? The hospital. Now it’s not as bad as it sounds, but it was the hospital nonetheless. It seems I had a good case of food poisoning as I threw up a few times through the night and really didn’t sleep at all. They have been taking precautions with the volunteers which was why they sent me and another volunteer - who had the same symptoms - to the hospital. Luckily I got to go to the best hospital in the country – Hospital Arco Iris. This was actually my first experience at the hospital for myself. I stayed overnight, had an IV and I was alone. Not the best first time experience one could have but I don’t really think that you could ever really have a ‘good’ experience at the hospital either. Needless to say it was a difficult 28 hours. A lot of doubts about being here in Bolivia began flying through my head. I just wanted to be home in my own bed – not in a ward with 5 other people who had their own problems to deal with. Thanks to some very encouraging words from my father, I really saw how I was getting distracted from my purpose here in Bolivia. In my view, satan was trying to drive a wedge between me and the reason why I’m here. He knows I have the potential to do something great here and he doesn’t want to see that happen. To be honest, I’m not really cool with that. I have an objective and I aim to complete it and hopefully I will be able to stay fit and healthy so that I can do just that.

Side note: I have internet now in the flat! I had to buy two wifi routers to get the signal strong enough in our apartment, but now I should be able to update my blog a little more often. Hopefully providing better details of what’s going on here!

Although I’ve had to deal with a little fatigue and some random stomach pains this has been a great week. The other HOPE volunteers (from the US) have arrived here and I already feel as though we are a big happy family. To have people here who I have so much in common with definitely makes living in another country a little easier. I really look forward to being able to spend time with them and build some ‘happy memories’. I think that God will continue to bless this group as we try to help the poor in La Paz.

We actually got to have a great ‘American’ dinner with Cristobal – who is one of the directors at Arco Iris – which was a baked potato bar. We had bacon, cheese, sour cream… you know… all the good stuff to put on there. It was great to spend time with Cristobal’s family (he has a son and daughter as well as a nephew here in La Paz) and laugh at Brie and Jordyn - who are definitely fun to be around! The Broyles’ (HOPE mission team leaders) apartment is definitely a nice place – much different than the other places I have experienced in La Paz. For one, it has carpet, which automatically makes you feel warm and at home in a place that tends to be very cold. I hope they won’t mind if I share a picture two.

Broyles' Living Room

So I have experienced some changes with my project this week. My coordinator tends to be missing a lot (this is the first year he’s had a volunteer with him) and I end up by myself with the kids… with a language barrier! Not always the most awesome thing, but of course I’m trying to learn quickly. My schedule has changed so that I will be working with Casa de Paso on Mondays and Fridays and I will be in Talleres Tuesday through Thursday. I’m excited about the change because it means I will have an even more direct involvement with the kids (boys 8 – 17). I felt like I’ve had a break through with many of them as we now can joke and talk regularly… even if I have to ask them to repeat themselves every time. It also helps that I hand out some American gum to them every other day. God has really blessed me with my project because I get to be around a wide variety of people and not only that, but I get to be a part of 2 projects… no one else gets to do that!

Casa de Paso boys

Oh, and I have peanut butter now! This may seem like a miniscule thing but it’s really exciting! A little expensive, but well worth it! I love it with the ritz crackers I found…