Arrrriiibbbbaaa!!

Hola Amigos y Familia!

Time is flying by and I can´t even believe that we have spent a week and a half in this beautiful place. It is becoming evident to me that three weeks is not enough to explore the city of Cochabamba, much less explore a whole country. However, every day has been jam-packed with activity, new experiences and so much laughter. Dan Collins, who has been living here as a missionary for years, asked us about our high and low points of the trip, and I honestly could not think of a low point. Maybe its because I am positive by nature, but there is something to be said for the beauty of the mountains, the kindness of the people, and the hand of God in our everyday lives that has already made this trip fantastic. Instead of giving you a rundown of what we have done, (which I feel like the other team members do really well), this is an attempt at giving you the flavor, (both literally and figuratively), of our everyday experience here in Cochabamba.

1.       THE CITY: Cochabamba rightly boasts the nickname “City of the Eternal Spring”. It has been cool and crisp every morning and sunny and warm every afternoon-- truly spring-like weather even though it is the middle of winter. We are surrounded by mountains that rise above the city skyline as a reminder that we can only badly replicate God´s artistry and grandness. At night, the hills are positively alive with light, and it looks like the sky and the ground have been switched so that the stars illuminate the earth instead of the heavens. I know I make it sound like it’s wonderland, and in some ways it is, but there is a lot of need here as well.

 The streets are full of campesinos (people from the country), that are desperately trying to make ends meet, schools are full of children that need extra attention, and the government is corrupt and infrastructure broken. Public parks are well taken care of, but streets are fair game for trash and all manner of waste. This is a place where beauty out of chaos is evident in everything. The boganvilla flourishes because the sewer is broken, Spanish and Quechua and Ayamara are spoken everywhere as modernization and globalization mix capitalism and poverty with tradition and changing social norms. The flavor of the city is hard to pin down, but it smells like empanadas and smoke. The energy of traffic and constant motion is slowed by the Bolivian concept of “being on time”, “Buenos dias” spoken through smiles, and the smell of citrus wafting out of corner fruit stands.

2.       THE PEOPLE: Place without relationship is practically meaningless. As much as I enjoy the city itself, it’s the people that have made my experience here. I came here expecting to serve, and in a lot of ways, we are serving both God and the community here, but we are treated with such warmth and hospitality, I often feel more like they are serving us. I am learning that saying thank you is better expressed as an action than as a sentiment. One example of this was after we finished he sports camp at Arca de Noe, the four Spanish speakers on the team did a training presentation for the Tias and others. The director of the school, Janet, invited us to her house for lunch, as a thank you and also as a way of inviting us into her family and her life. In addition to all the glorious food, we enjoyed great company and lots of laughter. We really didn´t want to leave, and in true Bolivian fashion, they begged us to stay, but we had to join the rest of the team for the evening. We left feeling full, physically and emotionally, which is a testament to Janet´s ability to make us understand her gratefulness.

One of the most consistently present individuals is Jhonny, our Bolivian go-to for everything. He is our tour guide, our friend, and the one who knows what to do when we run out of water. He manages to be both a seminary professor and a pastor while raising three children. He is one of many that make me feel entirely inadequate- in the most inspirational way. His wife runs a Compassion International school and his daughter Avril, who is five, continues to make us laugh with her silly games, constant jabber and infectious laughter. His mother-in-law, Celia is surprisingly full of vim and vigor for her age. She has about ten times as many wrinkles as teeth, but is always full of spunk and witty commentary. She also cooks us the BEST food, and makes sure that we are constantly fed.

3.       On that note, THE FOOD is absolutely delicious. We eat so well its ridiculous. The biggest meal of the day is lunch, so we have fresh bread and fruit for breakfast, and then try our best to wear ourselves out playing with kids or working at the carpentry shop before we have lunch. Almuerzo (lunch) consists of soup and then a second plate, which is always piled high with some delicious combination of meat and potatoes or pasta or rice. It is culturally rude to leave any food on your plate, so we happily eat as much as possible and give the rest to the guys on the team, who we´ve deemed the “heavy hitters” for their ability to scarf down double what the rest of us can eat. Dinner is usually much lighter, and eaten late. We are incredibly blessed to have Celia cooking lunch for us, and we have the privilege of going to an open air market to buy bread and fruit every other day.

4.       LESSONS: I am learning something new every day, which, in some ways, is what short-term missions trips are designed for. I honestly wasn´t sure what to expect. I am not particularly comfortable with the word “Mission” and I was not sure if I would find a Bible-toting, dooms-day preachers or normal individuals with a heart for God when I arrived. Dan and Darryl Collins, as well as all the Bolivians who work with them are definitely the latter. Missions are not about conversion, not about numbers and not about saving face by reporting to a church. Missions are about showing the love of God, recognizing the WHOLE person, the WHOLE family, the WHOLE community, not just a spiritual component. If nothing else, this trip has opened my eyes to what missionary work really looks like: it involves doing everything to the best of your abilities, with a selfless heart in whatever capacity God asks you to serve, whether that be spending the morning playing soccer with preschoolers, or the afternoon listening to a friend in need of a good chat.

 There are a few things that have stuck to my everyday mindset that I have learned in my very short time here:

BE GRATEFUL in action and in words. This is something Bolvians are especially good at. They show their heart by exhibiting undeserved generosity and hospitality.

DO NOT SAY NO TO GOD- this is a struggle, but I am already in over my head in blessings and joy, simply because I said yes to this trip.

The mission statement of Emprendimiento Mundial expresses the most impactful lesson thus far: DO EVERYTHING WITH EXCELLENCE. Everything I do should be done to the best of my ability, giving the best of myself and my time and resources, every day. That is what service should look like.

Sending you all love, blue skies, and abrazos,

Kelsey