Month 1

Hello Everyone! 

This is my first monthly update of my time here in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia! More specifically, how my first month of being at Familia Feliz has been. It has been such a journey, filled with ups and downs. Lots of trial and error, tears and prayer.

My journey began July 24th, 2024 with 4 flights where I ultimately landed in La Paz, Bolivia. During the entire journey I encountered God's presence very heavily.

My first layover was in Dallas, there I met a mother and her 5 young children on their way to Madrid, Spain, where she is originally from. At the same time I met a young man also on his way to Madrid. Funnily enough he had just come from Albuquerque, where he has lived for the past 3 years. I got to practice my Spanish with them and told them where I was journeying to. They were both incredibly encouraging, the mother told me she had also taken a mission trip to Peru during her university days and that it was the best experience she had ever had. That encounter was so encouraging.

When I landed in Miami, I was pretty anxious and stressed. I didn't know where I was going, and I needed to make sure my bags didn't need to be picked up and rechecked. God was guiding me every step. When I got to Bolivian Airlines check in the line was massively long. I began to freak out. However, my fellow student missionary Sophia, was already in line and close to being at the front. I was able to hop in with her, get her bags checked in, and get our airline tickets for the flights we would be taking in Bolivia. It was such a blessing to have her as a traveling buddy because I am a pretty anxious flyer, so having her with me was great support.

Once we got to our gate we had some time to relax and pray. We took time to pray because Katie-Jane (an SM that had been to FF 2 years prior and was our mentor) and fellow SM,Matthew, were delayed. We did not know if they would make it on our flight! However, God is good and they made it on several minutes before the doors closed and we were ready for take off.

The flight from Miami to Santa Cruz was six hours and ten minutes. I cried for the first two hours. I couldn't believe it. I just said goodbye to my family, my friends, and my boyfriend for the next 9 months. This was real. I was doing what God had called me to do, and I was upset. I was fighting with God telling Him "Why would you tell me to go! I can't believe I even listened to you! I should've said no and just stayed home!"

One thing that this journey has taught me from the very beginning is that you can, and you will, fight with God. I fought with God the first time He called me, I fought with Him the second time He called me, and I fought with Him on the plane ride over. Now we fight together. I fight with Him to strengthen my faith, which is an uphill battle every single day.

We landed in Santa Cruz, Bolivia at five o-clock in the morning. This is where all my Spanish fully came into play. I was no longer in a country where I was comfortable speaking the language. I was using a language that I only used several times a year, and only used certain words and phrases. I was insanely nervous going into immigration. So nervous I was shaking, I prayed and prayed for peace and guidance. God again was with me. My Spanish served me well, and they joked and laughed with me (and at me).

Immediately after, I got my visa I had to go find and grab my bags. I had no idea how I was even going to get all of them, because there were 3 massive bags. This kind older gentleman who worked as a designated bag carrier told me that he would grab my bags and help them get rechecked. Another thing about Spanish is the dialects are different. So when he told me he'd help me with my bags, that's about all I understood from him. But from the way he was speaking to me I could tell I could trust him.

In that moment, I remember really missing my dad. For those of you who know my dad, you know that he is a very helpful human being. He is a man of many talents, one of them being that he can understand any Spanish dialect you give him. I missed him immensely because I couldn't lean on him to translate what this older gentleman was saying to me. But again, God is good and He guided me through the whole process.

Once I had my bags checked in again, I was able to help Sophia get her checked as we waited for Katie-Jane and Matthew. Their bags unfortunately did not arrive and they were stuck trying to figure out what to do. In the end we all made it on our plane to La Paz.

Exhausted, emotional, and just plain worn out, we made it to La Paz, Bolivia at around ten in the morning. Thankfully, all of mine and Sophia's bags made it, something I was really worried about. Unfortunately, Matthew's and Katie-Janes bags did not. However, all was taken care of with baggage claim and they would be in Rurrenabaque the next morning.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of our two day journey. We still had a 10 hour taxi drive from La Paz to Rurre. Thankfully, Katie-Jane was able to arrange a taxi from a fellow Adventist Director of a boarding school not too far from FF. Normally taxi's will take you as far as a town about an hour away from Rurre, and you'd have to switch taxi's. But since Katie-Jane was able to arrange our taxi, he took us all the way to Familia Feliz.

It was a bumpy ride. The weather in La Paz was nice and cool (it's technically winter here), but as we traveled down the mountain it got hotter and hotter. It was beautiful seeing the mountains and vegetation, the beauty that God has formed and shaped with His hands. The bumpiness began when every so often the road would turn from normal road to a bumpy dirt road, and then again a normal road.

Severely dehydrated, exhausted, and numb from sitting in a car for ten hours, being tousled around with random 80's party music being played, we finally made it to Familia Feliz about ten at night. What a relief it was to get there. We were greeted by SMs Sean, Minha, Emilie, and a band of little boys to help us with our bags. Thank God we had made it!

From there the journey only continued. It was now Friday the 26th. I woke up in a bed that wasn't mine, in foreign place, and extremely out of my element. I praised God that we got there safely and started on the activities of the day! Katie-Jane and I went into the town of Rurrenabaque to pick up hers and Matthew's luggage, and a couple of things from town. We exchanged our U.S. dollars to Bolivianos, and bought (phone) chips so we would get working service on our phones. My poor family hadn't heard from me in over ten hours, so it was a relief to be able to contact them!

To be completely honest, that first week is kind of a blur. The first couple of days I kind of just hid as much as I could. I was thrown into a completely different world and all I felt was out of my element. However, as I talked to the other SM's and volunteers I was able to feel more at peace. Then, I was hit with a curve ball. Instead of being a house parent, like I had (sort of) mentally prepared for, Max, the director, told me that I was going to be a 1st and 2nd grade teacher.

However, while I might not have been prepared, God was. All of the supplies that I had brought with me were perfect for being a teacher. I got one day of observation before I was thrown to the wolves (the kids). With lots of support from Katie-Jane, who I am so incredibly grateful for, she was just an absolute blessing, I was just able to survive my first day of school!

My next couple of weeks consisted of helping out in the little girls and boys houses in the afternoons/evenings. Wow, are those kids such a handful. I got sick with a cold about a week of being here, and have continued to be sick for the last two weeks. I have cried many, many times, have been anxious, and so exhausted. Through it all I have clung to Jesus and my support system.

Some silly things I can now add to my resume are, frog wrangler (found one in my bathroom and by Gods grace got it out) and expert in washing clothes by hand. I can get around town without a map, and I know which store venders to go to at the Sunday market.

This first month has been a whirlwind. It's been a lot of ups, it's been a lot of downs, it's been a lot of hot and cold nights, and lots of stomach bug issues. But God has been with me every single step. One special encounter I've cherished is being able to have a Bolivian big sister.

I have the privilege of befriending a Bolivian volunteer who serves here as a teacher. Her name is Gabby, and as it turns it out I was an answer to her prayers, and she was an answer to a prayer I hadn't prayed yet. We have become very good friends. I have been able to lean on her and she on me. Being able to see God and hear how he has lead people here to FF has truly been a blessing.

To finish this first month's post off, I'd like to share another one of the many things that the Lord has shown me on this journey. It has been who my support system is. Before I left my mom asked all my close friends and family to write me letters. Letters that are labeled "Open when..." or ones that are labeled by month. It just showed me how God has blessed me with so many people in my life who believe in me even when I don't believe in myself. There have been many times in this month alone where I have cried out to God saying "I cannot do this, I literally just don't know how I am going to do this." Through His word, and the support system He has blessed me with, He has shown me that I can do this. It will not be easy, but He never said that walking with Him would be easy.

I thank God everyday for all the many blessings He has given so freely to me. I could not be more grateful. Keep me in your prayers. Especially pray for patience. I'm running extremely low on that😅.

P.S. No lice yet! And with the amount of cockroaches I've killed should go on my resume as "exterminator."