¡Feliz Navidad!

Christmas Eve dinner with our special guest!

     Merry Christmas!!!!  As you all read before the weeks leading up to Christmas were a whirlwind of activity and the craziness didn't stop there!  Christmas Eve was the final day of Villa Feliz.  After we sent the kids home to their families with their gifts and a full belly, Manny and I went home to change for Christmas dinner.  The sisters have a tradition of inviting a family over for Christmas dinner.  This year they invited a man whose wife died a few years ago and has no family to spend the holiday with.  As Manny and I walked into the chapel for evening prayer, I couldn't help but notice that the man's eyes were a little red and that he had a smile on his face.  After prayer we started serving dinner and he was able to open his Christmas presents.  He had a large smile on his face as he ripped the wrapping paper and saw inside was 2 new dress shirts to wear.  Dinner was wonderful for everyone, and I felt extreme happiness in my heart as we talked because all of us were away from our families, and at a time of the year when it is easy to become lonely, we came together and formed a new family filled with manny blessings.
     After dinner we went to Mass and were able to celebrate the birth of Christ with all of our new friends and family here in Okinawa.  After Mass Manny and I went to work preparing our gifts for communities and cinnamon rolls for breakfast the next morning, another tradition between the missioners and the religious community we live with.  I headed over to our house from the school slightly after midnight to bake the rolls and was surrounded by fireworks coming from every side of the school.  It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL to see how another culture celebrate the birth of our Lord.  We ended our night walking around Okinawa enjoying seeing the celebrations surrounding us.

The truck all loaded with presents!

     The morning of Christmas I sprang out of bed nice and early, around 4:45 and rushed to get ready.  I was so excited for Christmas!  Why was I so excited?  Because Manny and I filled the truck with the gifts we bought and were headed to the communities we visit playing music from the loudspeaker on top of the truck.  When we got to the communities, most people were still sleeping, however all it took was one child to see us and the whole community quickly came to see what the fuss was about.  In these communities the houses are made of dirt, the roofs made of straw, and have one room for a whole family to sleep in.  For most of these kids, the gift we gave them that morning was the only gift they would get that year.  They were so excited and it was amazing to see the smiles on their faces as they were handed a new ball, or a barbie, or a toy car.

 





   

     After we were finished with the communities we rushed to the Hogar (orphanage) in Montero where we have 2 other SLMs.  There are roughly 130 girls at the Hogar.  I played with the girls while we were waiting for Santa (Manny) to arrive.  As soon as Santa came through the door he was surrounded by little girls with HUGE smiles on their faces.  We helped Santa give out Christmas gifts to each girl, watched some of the older girls put on a Nativity play, and heard a choir sing Christmas carols.  Words cannot express how happy I was to be spending some of my Christmas morning with those girls.
     When we left the Hogar, we went with 2 other SLMs and volunteers from their parish to a community not too far outside of Montero.  There we played games, had live music, and talked about the birth of Christ.  At the end of the event, the children received food and a Christmas gift to take home.
     I Skyped my family Christmas night and when my mom asked how Christmas was, I told her it was one of the best of my life.  In the days leading up to Christmas I did miss my family, but I told her if I couldn't be with them for Christmas, then this is how I wanted to spend my day.  What made this day so special is that it wasn't about me at all.  I didn't open up any gifts on Christmas morning, but instead I  helped make this Christmas special for countless children here in Bolivia.  I also spent a lot of time reflecting on the work we did here for Christmas, and I can't get the memory of Christmas dinner out of my head.  How wonderful would it be if every family opened their door on Christmas for someone who was lonely to have someone to spend Christmas with?  You never know how you'll touch someone.

¡Villa Feliz!

This is the majority of my group.  It was hard to get them
all together for a picture.

     Hello all!  I am sorry I haven't written anything in the last month, but it has been pretty busy for many reasons.  The first reason is that the immigration office in Cochabamba lost my passport, so when my new one arrived at the embassy I had to travel about 10 hours away so that the immigration office could pay my fines for not having a visa and could give me another 30 day visa so I could send my paperwork to La Paz for my year-long visa.  That in itself was a long process and took about a week to get straightened out.
     As soon as I  arrived back in Okinawa we jumped right in to preparing for Villa Feliz, which is Christmas camp for the kids and lasted 12 days.  We had to prepare posters, name tags, materials, learn the dance moves to songs, and prepare our materials for our individual groups among other things.  We had about 240 kids total attend camp!

Our nativity scene that the kids made.
I spent a lot of time putting this together
for the presentations.

     My group was the "angelitos" or the "little angels" which means I had about 70 5-6 year olds in my group everyday.  Our day began with the kids arriving between 2:00 and 2:30 followed by songs and an introduction to the symbol of the day.  Many families here say a Novena until Christmas which focuses on a different Nativity symbol every day.  After that the kids went to their Catechism groups (their age determined their groups).  The Catechism at camp went along with these symbols every day.  After Catechism there would be a small recess followed by a few more songs.  Finally the kids went to their workshops.  Their choices were crafts, card making, beading, dance, sports, and angelitos.  Every day one group made a part of the nativity depending on the day's symbol.  By the end of the two weeks we had a star, angel, wise men, animals, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and a manger.  Every day I prepared a craft for my kids to do during our workshop and once the craft was done we would go outside and jump rope, play soccer, draw with chalk, or play a different game.  After workshops the kids were sent home until the next day.  Our days were busy preparing and playing with the kids, but the work was so rewarding when the next day kids from your group would come running with HUGE smiles on their faces to you to give you a big hug.
   The last day of camp each group presented a "gift" to baby Jesus in the form of a song or dance.  After this all of the camp leaders put on a Nativity play (I was a sheep).  At the end of the presentations all the kids received a small gift from Jesus, as well as some Christmas bread, cookies, and chocolate milk.  Camp was a perfect way to spend my days leading up to Christmas!
     The weekend before Christmas, in addition to preparing for Villa Feliz presentations, we also prepared buckets and bags of food for families in Okinawa.  Many families are a part of various programs that give assistance to these families.  For Christmas, all of these families received a bag or a bucket with flour, rice, oil, coco powder, juice, noodles, and a few other necessary food items.  These bags and buckets were handed out in the afternoon while the kids were here for Villa Feliz.

These are the majority of the buckets and bags of food
that were distributed to families for Christmas.

Sor Rosario giving the kids in Children
 their Christmas shoes.

     Many of the children in Okinawa are a part of the sponsorship program Children Incorporated.  As a Christmas gift, all children received new shoes the morning of the 23rd.  Their families also received one of the buckets of food.  If anyone is interested in learning more about Children Incorporated, chick here to go to their website https://childrenincorporated.org.  
     I also had a FABULOUS Christmas, so stay tuned for more on what Christmas for an SLM in Okinawa looks like!

Some of the volunteers during the Nativity play.

¡Bienvenidos a Okinawa!

     My time in Okinawa thus far has been spent helping Manny and Stephanie in their classes, helping with exams, helping with Confirmation, and spending time with the community.  I have loved every minute getting to know the kids.  I had a friend from the institute visit before she leaves, and as we were walking down the road, hearing "Teacher" being shouted from homes as I passed and being given many hugs, she told me how special my time will be here.  I am reminded of that every time I walk into school, or down the street after school.  I came here to be a presence and to be a witness of Christ's love, but I must say that I also experience Christ's love through the smiling faces I am greeted with every day.  God truly has blessed me in calling me here to Bolivia.

     This past Saturday was Confirmation for all the kids in our area.  We spent the morning seating kids and waiting for the Bishop to arrive.  We witnessed a beautiful Mass, congratulated the kids afterwards.  That night we were invited to many Confirmation parties, and we experienced Bolivian hospitality at it's finest (we were offered food wherever we went and they don't take "no" for an answer).  It was so wonderful being able to get to know the community, and to be able to celebrate with the friends I've made in my short time here.

     I want everyone to be able to see a little bit of where I live and the kids I work with, and sometimes pictures are better than words.

The sunset over our only paved road takes your breath away every night.

Many of the houses in Okinawa look like this.

Our church, San Francisco Xavier

Our village plaza.

Home sweet home!

Another feria in our town plaza.  This was for Religion, physics, English, and chemistry in the high school.

The school has a feria for each topic at the end of the year.  This was the gym feria.

Manny and I playing with some of our kids at recess.

Some of the kids after one of the confirmation parties.  They wanted a picture with "Teachers" before we left.

The Amazing Race!

Last week was my last week in Cochabamba.  I had originally thought that I would have a lot of time this past week to continue studying Spanish on my own, however God had other plans for me.  This is also my cousin’s last week at his school with his basketball teams, so he wanted to do a special activity to wrap up the year.  I found myself Monday morning at his school, mapping out a course for “The Amazing Race” activities.

Wednesday and Thursday after school kids who had participated in Michael’s basketball program gathered for these unknown activities.  We had 7 stations set up throughout the school, each with a different fun activity that promoted critical thinking, leadership, sportsmanship, physical activity, and teamwork.  The activities were as follows:

#1-Frisbee Toss.  A team worked together to pass the Frisbee from one soccer goalpost to the other and repeated this twice.

#2-How to Tie a Knot.  Each member of the team was connected to another team member by a short rope.  The team then had to think about how to tie a knot in one of the ropes without letting go and by moving various members of the team.

#3-Basketball Shootout.  There were 5 cones set up on the basketball court.  Team members had to take turns and make 5 shots at each cone before moving on.

#4-Hanging Nails.  A thin string was suspended between two chairs and team members had to balance the head of the nail on the string.  5 nails had to be hanging together before the team could move on.

#5-Oreo Eating.  Each member of the team sat in a chair and were handed an Oreo.  The kids them put the Oreo on their forehead and had to find a way to get it to their mouth without using their hands.

#6-Pass the Noodles.  Each team member placed a straw in their mouth and formed a line.  They then had to pass penne noodles down the line and place the noodles in the bucket at the end without using their hands or dropping the noodles.  They had to get 10 in the bucket before moving on.

#7-Rubber Band Shootout.  As the final activity, the team had 8 cups on a table that they had to knock off the table by shooting rubber bands.

            The kids had so much fun at each activity and quickly raced to the next activity in hopes of getting a prize for wining at the end.  The first team back to the starting point won t-shirts, shorts, and hats that my Aunt and Uncle brought from Michael’s high school.  When all teams were back, prizes were handed out and the kids had a dinner of pizza before playing one last basketball game with their coach.  Sadly none of my teams won, but we had fun completing the activities and I will forever remember their smiles as we raced around the school.

            I have now been at my own site, Okinawa, for 2 days and this truly is a wonderful village!  I continually am given many hugs from my future students and when I see them on the street the greet me with an enthusiastic "TEACHER!".  There is only one week left of school for the year so instead of jumping into teaching a class I am helping the other SLMs and the sisters until school ends.  After that we begin planning activities for Christmas camp but for now, time for recess!

Meet Bismark!

     I want to introduce you all to my new friend, Bismark.  He is 9 years old and lives in El Alto, which is a part of La Paz, Bolivia.  He has a wonderful, loving family including a father, sister, grandparents, aunts, and cousins.  He lives with his father, sister, and grandparents in a small house, sharing a bedroom with his father and sister.  Life has been hard, but his family is looking to the future.  He loves to play games, especially with his sister and cousins.  When you first meet him he seems shy, however it does not take long for him to run up to you and hold your hand and whisper jokes in your ear.  He laughs easily and has a smile that lights up your world.

           

     Bismark goes to a special school, Centro San Martin de Porres, because he has a learning disability and has ADD.  Public schools would not accept him because of his learning disability, so before attending this school he could not read or write but with the help from the teachers at this center he has made a lot of progress in his studies, including reading and writing.  This center is 10 years old and serves 120 special education students, provides physical therapy for 25 of those students, and provides physical therapy for those in the surrounding community.  This is the largest center in El Alto for special education students, and is one of few in La Paz.  The school provides lunch for all students every day and is funded primarily through donations from the parish and sponsorship programs.

The Physical Therapy room at the school.

Bismark was excited to show off
his classroom!

How did I come to know Bismark?  He’s my godchild through Christian Foundation for Children and Aging.  For many years I had a godchild in Guatemala, however a few months before my mission in Bolivia began, I received a letter from her saying that she has a job and can support herself and thanked me for my years of sponsorship.  I decided to sponsor another child, but I wanted one who lives in Bolivia since I would be living here.  I was looking through children on the website, and I would like to say that I chose Bismark, but his picture captured my heart.  Bismark chose me.

Feeding pigeons at a plaza in La Paz.

I decided to arrange a chance to meet him, and October 19, 2013 was the day!  The day started out at the La Paz Project office.  Some of the first words out of Bismark’s was “she’s tall!” and “she has blue eyes!”.  During breakfast he was shy, and only whispered what he wanted to say in his father’s ear, who then would repeat it.  After that we took a walk around La Paz, and within a few minutes Bismark ran up and grabbed my hand.  We found a Plaza where many people feed pigeons from their hands, and after Bismark ran through them, scattering them about, we went about feeding them as well and had so much fun.  A little later we headed to El Alto to Bismark’s house for lunch.  I was welcomed by the rest of his family at the door, his grandparents had tears in their eyes.  Bismark’s sister was quick to introduce herself and take her present from me (I had filled a backpack for her and Bismark with games, school supplies, and chocolate) and soon the whole family was laughing as we jumped rope together.  We ate lunch, and his family shared stories and pictures with me and thanked me for taking the time to come to meet them.  As I drove away in the trufi, Bismark chased after the car outside my window until he couldn’t keep up anymore.

Jumping rope with the whole family!

I knew I had to meet him, I just didn’t realize how much meeting him and hearing his story and his family’s story would impact me.  I read once that God has a way of breaking your heart, and now I understand what that means.  Sometimes, as you encounter life, your heart hardens a little to what is happening around you.  It is not something that you intentionally do, but nonetheless it happens.  God breaks our heart to help us in these situations to always have compassion and to more fully be able to share His love.  My heart did break as I got to know Bismark, and now it has given me a fire to do more, and not just for Bismark.  I also witnessed what it means to be there for your family, in good times and in bad times.  Bismark really did choose me, and by meeting him I have learned how important it is share love, because that is what impacts life.  As I go to my mission site this next week, I know that I am more fully capable of sharing Christ’s love because Christ will continue to break my heart.

Bismark and his family.  How BEAUTIFUL!

If anyone want’s to share Christ’s love with a child somewhere in the world, and would like to know more about Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, please visit: http://www.cfcausa.org