SPY Trip to Bolivia: Day Three [7.19]

We got up at 7:00 to get ready for breakfast at 8:00. The restaurant wasn't very big, but the food was good: a doughnut, wheat toast with honey, hash browns with pepper sauce, and more coca-tea. We all headed upstairs for devotions, where Melanie led us in a few worship songs: Our God Saves, Everlasting God, and Oh Happy Day. Then Becky told us a story about a distribution in Ecuador last year. It was put on by a Christian orphanage who wanted to give gifts to kids in the community. The attitude of the hearts of the orphans knocks me down...even though they were to receive boxes too, they genuinely just wanted to share the love of Christ, which is all they have to give. She asked us to think of a time when we felt true love, which I think is a crucial thing to consider.

We then headed out to the bus to leave for Puerto Perez/Lake Titicaca...it was about a two-hour ride...and it was breathtakingly beautiful the whole way. I wasn't really talking to anyone because I was just in awe of God and the works of His hands. We arrived at Las Balsas hotel, which is adorable. Our group has the whole hotel to ourselves...the people here are so nice and hospitable. Olivia and I have a room on the second floor with a balcony and an amazing view of the lake. (They had a sheet of paper pinned to the door with our names and a daisy printed on it.) Then at 1pm, it was time for lunch...but not before April, Melanie, Nate, Olivia, and Anna burst out singing songs from Wicked. For lunch, we had vegetable soup, chicken and rice with fruit, and then a fruit salad with apples, banana, papaya, and cantaloupe. Oh, and I had some Coke...no ice. We went outside and played on the swings and took pictures before we had a briefing before the distribution.

The local team told us what to expect, and then we headed out to the square right outside our hotel where Jorge had the kids already lined up and ready for the program to start. They sang a few songs and presented the Gospel message before we began handing out the shoeboxes and "Greatest Gift of All" booklets. I was standing near the 10-14 year old boys and girls, who were not very talkative or expressive. I opened boxes with two sisters in that group, but my heart hurt a little when I saw them take everything out and immediately put it back in...sometimes in Bolivia, when kids bring shoeboxes or gifts home, their parents just go sell all its contents. I wanted them to know that these boxes had been packed just for them and God loves them, but they left pretty quickly...they did smile a lot when they were looking through the boxes, which made me smile as well. They didn't really want to talk to me...though I tried, with the little Spanish I know. The younger children were much more excited about everything, which was truly a blessing to see...the 2-4 year olds always bring me joy. One of the girls had a letter in her box, so I'm going to try to contact the person to let them know that I delivered the box! As a side note, every shoebox that comes to Bolivia is from Canada...that is a written agreement.

We had the rest of the afternoon (just a couple hours) free, before we learned some of the songs used at the distributions and had dinner. Dinner was asparagus soup, trout (caught in the lake), vegetables, french fries, and some chocolate pudding...and coca-tea, of course. (I see a pattern emerging.) After dinner, we had some small group time...my group is April, Anna, Ian, Jill, and Nate. We talked about why we wanted to come on the trip. Then we shared prayer requests with each other...that was a blessing. Everyone was talking about how we need to rely solely on the Lord for everything and realize that we are here for His glory, not our own. John 3:30. These people are such a blessing.

I'm praying that the Lord absolutely blows my expectations out of the water...both now and for the rest of my life. Stephanie's roommate is feeling very sick, so Stephanie has joined me and Olivia for the night. There is something exhilarating about sleeping under a sleeping bag and four blankets with the radiator on low and the cold air seeping in from the balcony door. Anything for our Lord.