My last day in Bolivia was definitely one of my top five favorite days in Bolivia because of how special the time with friends was that day. In the morning, I had breakfast with Jael, Jaime, Shamir, and Rachel. Then we dropped Jael off at work, and the rest of us along with Windsor did some last day shopping. Then we came back to my apartment for lunch and a few more friends came over to do a parillada, or a BBQ on my porch. It was such a wonderful atmosphere with everyone cooking, chatting, playing guitar, eating, helping me pack, and just enjoying themselves. Many of them spent the whole afternoon with me, helping me pack and clean, and then we went all together to the airport for Rachel and I to catch our 11pm flight back to the States. It was an extremely special day and didn't make the fact we had to leave any better, but it was good to feel so loved by the people we will always guard in our hearts. I hope to go back real real soon!
Last week in Bolivia... :(
On Wednesday, my last night in Bolivia, my friends came over and cooked tacos and had a little goodbye party for Rachel and I. It was a wonderful evening of chatting, eating, and singing songs with the guitar. I LOVE THEM ALL!!!!
IJM Clients Family Day
We had a special day at the park on a Saturday morning this month in which we invited all of our clients and their families to come and play. The kids played and got their faces painted by the IJM interns, and the parents chatted and played soccer with IJM staff and interns. It was a lovely morning! It was rather sobering to see so many children who have had their childhood innocence violently ripped from them, but it was also a testament to God's restoring power to see them laughing and playing in the sun.
Last Weekend Adventure, Caranavi
After the retreat we decided to fit in one last Bolivian adventure on our last weekend in the country so Rachel and I went along with eight other friends to spend the weekend in Caranavi. We stayed with a precious family, friends of ours and had a wonderful time relaxing and adventuring with them. On Saturday, we fulfilled one of Rachel's life dreams in going to a waterfall and swimming in it, not letting the freezing temperatures of the glacier runoff on a cold day hinder us even a bit!
IJM Retreat: "The Role of the Church Concerning Injustice"
The planning and execution of this retreat was my final project as part of the church mobilizations team at IJM Bolivia. The retreat was held on a Tuesday-Thursday at El Puente, a Christian camp grounds three hours outside of La Paz, and we had 100 people present. A wonderful team of 5 people came from IJM Canada to do the presentations and the Bolivia team covered logistics and other activities. I really loved being able to see many of the fruits of our year's work being put into play in the retreat, and knowing that many seeds were being planted. In the picture, two of the Canadian presenters are meeting with a group of Bolivian social workers to encourage them in their work. I am present to translate.
Project Helping Hands Trip
Rachel and I went with about 20 other friends from La Paz to be translators and helpers for a Medical Trip in small little villages outside of Santa Cruz. It was a great opportunity to serve, meet a really wide variety of people, see some really remote places and have a blast! Pictured is a line of villagers waiting to be attended.
Rachel Comes to Bolivia!
One of my greatest joys of my last two months in Bolivia was that Rachel came!!! The Lord really opened the doors for her to come for her summer break, so she arrived on June 3 with little idea of what she was in for. On June 4, I took her 4 hours North of La Paz to a small town in the jungle called Caranavi where I dropped her off to live at a discipleship training facility and work at the orphanage next door. She was the only American and was around very few English speakers. She was immersed in the Spanish language and Bolivia culture. Halfway through her time, I took her out to go on a Project Helping Hands Medical Trip with me at a helper, so that was fun, and then when she finished, she came to an IJM Pastors and Leaders retreat to help out, and finally, we spend our last week together spending quality time together with precious friends in La Paz. When we left La Paz, we left together and it was so good to be able to cry on each other's shoulders. I was so proud of Rachel and the way she embraced the culture, the people, and the experiences that she encountered in Bolivia. And I'm so grateful that we can always share these Bolivia memories with each other.
