¡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

It's Game Time!

     I'm sorry it has been so long since I have written but so far my days have followed a similar routine and I don't want to bore everyone this early into my year.  I am still taking classes at the Maryknoll Language Institute in Cochabamba so life has been filled with charades, questioning looks, and lots and lots of studying!  I was able to travel with a few other students  and one of our professors to Copacabana, Bolivia.  There we hiked to ruins that date to pre-Incan times and we took a boat on Lake Titicaca to La Isla del Sol.  Lake Titicaca holds the record for being at the highest altitude in the world!  Both the city and the lake are incredibly beautiful and are a good reminder that God's beauty can be found in everyone and everywhere, even at 3,800 meters (12,600 ft)!
     What I really want to talk about is an opportunity I was blessed to have this past
weekend.  My cousin works at a school on the south side of Cochabamba where there is a lot of need.  He put together a weekend basketball tournament that hosted 26 teams from ages 8-18!  With having such a large tournament, there was a need for a lot of volunteers to keep the day running smoothly.  The goal was to build character, leadership, teamwork, and an awareness of social issues in Bolivia through the tournament.  It was a double elimination tournament for three age divisions with different team-building and social issues workshops for teams to attend between games.  Each team was given points at these workshops based on certain criteria like: working as a team, following directions, and are they attentive.  That means that there was one winner for each division, as well as an overall winner based on these workshops.  All day the kids played with their hearts in the game, and more importantly, you could see on their faces how much fun they were having and how grateful they were to Michael for arranging the tournament.  In a country where children do not have much of a voice, they were empowered through having different responsibilities throughout the weekend.
     The greatest lesson I have learned through my weeks here, and was made clear at the tournament, is humility.  What I loved most about helping at the tournament was being able to work with kids for two days.  It's been hard for me to remember my mission since I'm here in Bolivia and am not at my mission site, but this was a great reminder of my mission that every child I meet knows Christ's love through me.

It also was a reminder of how little Spanish I know when I tried to speak with the kids who flocked to my table.  I was laughed at for my English, for my Spanish pronunciation, for saying things wrong, and for the completely wrong vocabulary, however at the end of the day one girl told me entiendo (I understand) and I couldn't help but smile that I said something right.  I know I will have similar events throughout the year but I know that God (and a lot more studying) will get me through it.  I look forward to learning more of God's lessons for me.

¡Hola de Bolivia!

Charlene and I walking from the
airplane to the airport in
Cochabamba.

     Hello from Bolivia!  I am glad to say that while the travel to Bolivia was long, all went well.  I flew from Traverse City to Chicago where I met up with Charlene (another SLM) and we continued our journey to Miami, La Paz, and finally landed in Cochabamba.  When we were in La Paz we were very confused as to how to get to our flight, seeing as how neither of us know much Spanish.  There was a sweet woman who noticed we were lost and helped us check in with the airline and went with us to our gate.  After that it was smooth sailing form La Paz to Cochabamba.  My cousin, Michael, who has been living in Cochabamba for about a year and a half was able to meet us at the airport.

Michael and I at my host families
home after picking me up
at the airport.

     My final destination in Bolivia is Okinawa, which is where I will be living and teaching for the year.    First, however, I need to learn Spanish.  For the next six weeks I will be in Cochabamba, Bolivia at the Maryknoll Language Institute where I will be taking Spanish classes which start on Monday.  While in Cochabamba I have a host family.  I live with my host mother, María René, her daughter Paula, and her grandson Nico.  Her other grandson Martín spends most of the afternoon with us.  So far I have played a lot of charades with my host family, trying to expand my vocabulary before classes start and they have had many laughs at my attempt but I am learning.

The Maryknoll Language Institute

     So far my days follow a similar pattern.  I wake up and head down to the kitchen where I am greeted by a ¡Buen Dias! ¿Como está? and I have breakfast.  Then I get ready for my day and talk (or try to) with my host mom.  At 11:30 I go with my host mom to pick up Martín at school.  We come home and have lunch and then I play with the kids until dinner, or I will go to the institute and meet the other language students.  After dinner the kids and I will play a game or watch a movie (in Spanish of course).  Once my course starts I will go to class for about 4 hours a day, study after, and then go home and play with the kids.  At the end of my course, my Aunt and Uncle will be visiting my cousin and all of us will travel to Okinawa together and they will be able to see where I will be living.

My Family: Martín is on top, Nico
is next to me and María René

     On Sunday my cousin is going to meet me at church and then we will be headed to the south side of Cochabamba where he lives.  The south side of the city has more need, so he has been working on an after school program and is coaching numerous basketball teams in the area.  It's going to be awesome to see the work he has been doing the last year and a half, especially since I have been hearing about it for so long.  I don't have many pictures yet but expect many more in the following posts!

It's All About Trust

Myself and two other missioners outside of Mass on Sunday

     I firmly believe that God works in mysterious ways and places people in your life, even for a short while, for a specific purpose.  As I travelled to New York for training and orientation I couldn't help but feel butterflies in my stomach.  I am very excited about this path God has laid out for me, but I would be lying to myself if I said that I did not have many anxieties.  Anxieties about meeting my site partners for the first time, discovering what "training and orientation" entails, and about what to expect while on mission in Bolivia. As I began my 3 weeks of training and orientation in New York, I was nervous about everything.   I had anticipated that as my questions about my mission were answered my anxieties would decrease, however as the weeks progressed and I talked with previous missioners about the good and the bad of mission, my anxieties only grew.  I knew God called me to mission, but I was having a hard time putting my full trust in Him.  God told me twice while in New York that I needed to put my faith and trust in Him.  Little did I know that God would use the people I had just met to tell me.

Don Bosco Community Center where I met  Mercedes.

      When we were eating at the soup kitchen the first week of training I had met Mercedes, who is from the Dominican Republic and is an absolute delight to talk to.  I enjoyed my time talking to her, and during our service week I was grinding coffee beans for the food cupboard and I hear a voice behind me exclaim "I recognize that face!"  There was Mercedes with her arms open walking over to me.  As she embraced me she also gave me a kiss on the cheek and told me how nice it was to see me and that she would save me a seat at lunch.  I was able to enjoy two more days talking and laughing with Mercedes.  When it came time to say our goodbye at the end of the week she told me something that struck me.  She said, "I will remember your name and pray for you everyday.  All you need to do is trust in God.  Trust in Him and you will be okay.  He will take care of you.  Remember just to trust in Him."  Wow.  Talk about God speaking through other people.  I took her words to heart and I know I will carry them forever with me, and I will always keep Mercedes in my prayers.  I knew God was telling me to fully rely on Him, but some of my anxieties were still nagging at me.
     At the end of training while we were on our retreat with the Salesians of Don Bosco, we were blessed with the opportunity to attend Lectio Divina.  Lectio Divina is a contemplative prayer of the scriptures.  The passage is read four times.  After the first time you reflect on a phrase or word that stands out to you in the passage.  After the second time you share with a small group your word or phrase and explain why it stood out to you.  After the third time you share a prayer or intention based on your word or phrase, and after the last time each person is in silent prayer and reflection.  Our passage was Philippians 4:4-9:

     "⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. ⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  ⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. ⁹ The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."

Me being commissioned the last day of training and orientation.

     The phrase that stood out to me was "be anxious for nothing".  I knew in my heart as I reflected on that phrase that God was speaking to me specifically and was telling me to put my fears and anxieties to rest.  Since that day I have fully depended on God, and as the number of days days until I leave lessens,  my heart gets more and more excited.  That excitement has replaced the anxiety.  Jesus I trust in You!