The Dream...

This morning I woke up to my cellphone alarm going off at 8:30...I heard it go and then turned it off.  I thought I'd just get outta bed in a couple minutes.  I then proceeded to fall back asleep.  I dreamed I took a surprise, spontaneous trip to Bolivia.  It was very last minute and I couldn't wait to get there to see the children!  When I got there I saw Marisol and of course Angie & DaRonn and the kids, but also some work colleagues and Jenifer Nold as well!  I was so happy to see some of my work colleagues - a speech therapist and a developmental therapist that I cried as I knew we could put them to good work at The House of Dreams orphanage!  My dream felt so lifelike...I was so happy to be back at Cochabamba that it felt like a second home!!  Shortly before I woke up I realized I had forgotten one VERY important fact...to call or write Angie & DaRonn to let them know I was coming, a major feau-paux!!  One must never just show up to a missions site without proper permission, planning, etc.  When I suddenly realized what I had done I felt AWFUL!!!  I apologized profusely over and over.  They eventually forgave me (thank GOD!) and then decided that since I returned for a short trip that I would then have to be reviewed by their missions panel.  In my dream it was a 12 member panel that subjectively reviewed your time and service during your time there with Christ Nation Ministries.  They complemented you on your strengthes and then gave you very constructive criticism on areas to work on.  In my dream they primarily did this with just their interns (individuals that spent a month or more with their ministry) to help prepare them for future missions trips, however, since this was my 2nd trip, they encouraged me to go through the process.  In a way I took it as a great honor...but I was still a tad weary about the whole process...after all, I did show up unannounced!!  About this time, I woke up...it was 9:49!!!!  I'm at my Aunt's house in Oklahoma City and I told her I would probably be up and about around 8:45-9ish!  Oops!!!!  So I got up and sure enough they were up and dressed and MORE than ready for breakfast!!  I still couldn't get over how REAL my dream felt.  It literally felt that I was there seeing the children and my friends...I think I even cried happy tears about being there again!!  I guess there's more proof that I'm hooked on Bolivia and House of Dreams orphanage!!!  (It's so weird, I haven't had a dream that detailed and remembered it in years!!! I'm still in awe!!)

The Visit...

I have had a really nice day today talking to my Aunt Ginny and her new boyfriend Bill.  She and Bill went to High School together in Elgin, Oklahoma.  Bill has had a crush on my aunt since 1955!!  He even went as far to ask her out, however, since he was Indian my grandfather would not let her go out with Bill.  Bill later got married and was married 44 years prior to his wife dying of cancer.  Last Fall Ginny was doing the prep work for their 50th High School Reunion and that's when Bill connected with her and volunteered his help.  They went to lunch together a lot and then started dating.  Kind of a warm and fuzzy, cute story eh??  He says he only went to 3 reunions total and each time he asked the lady who called if Virginia (my aunt) was going.  If she went then he went.  He stayed long enough for her to say hi and then he left. I guess Bill and Ginny have been dating for 3-4 months now.  It's nice seeing my aunt so happy!!

This afternoon we went to my cousin Renea's house and got to visit with her and her husband Kevin and two children Hailey and Greg.  It was fun talking and catching up!  Hailey is I think 14 or 15 now and looks soooo much like her mother did at that age.  It's almost eery!!  We then went out to eat.

Texting Lesson 101...

When we got home Bill wanted me to teach him and Ginny how to text message.  So I gave them a 30 minute lesson on the ins and outs of text messaging!  I gave them each a test of texting me a message.  They both passed with flying colors! We had so much fun doing it!  (They both are 70 so it was fun teaching them new techy stuff!!)  Ginny then texted her daughter Renea and Hailey, her granddaughter!  Then later I got a text from some friends of mine and finally Curt too!

A Very Important Call from Bulgaria...

I added the international calling plan to Curt's cellphone which allows us to talk briefly a little cheaper! He said he's having a fun time.  They are now leaving Vargna and heading to Nessabar for shopping and sightseeing in the Black Sea area!  Then they will have an outreach in Burgass, Bulgaria.  It's currently 8:34 AM there (12 midnight 34 here).  He said that the police shewed them away from their outreach yesterday.  I guess it was the second time it's happened to Georgian and the gang (the first time on this trip).  They were able to stay put an additional hour after the initial warning and then the police told them they had to leave right away.  I guess they are suppose to have permission and permits of some sort to minister is some regions!  Be praying that they will be able to continue the rest of their outreaches without incident.  He also said that the 3-4 star hotels there that they are staying at are WAY different than ours (and not in the good way).  First of the beds...the single sizes are not like our twin beds, but instead are 3 foot by 6 foot "pallets"  he said he didn't sleep to well last night.  I suggested some Tylenol PM that I packed, but then he stated he was afraid that then he wouldn't hear the cellphone alarm!  Evidently wake-up calls are not reliable as customer service is not a priority!  He said they asked for butter for their bread at the hotel...they brought them 5 pats of butter and then after the meal brought them a bill for $2.50 for the butter!!  So overall he's really enjoying it.  Hopefully tomorrow there will be a blog with pictures...I'll be sure to pass it on when I learn of it!!  So pray that he gets some good sleep for the rest of the trip.  They keep a very hectic pass, so not sleeping well I'm sure will get to him eventually.  Although Curt would probably never complain about it other than to me!

God bless ya!! Good night my friends!!

I've spent the day in Kansas City at the National Down Syndrome Congress Convention learning how to help my clients with Downs.  It's been a fun day...I always love to learn!  I got treated to a lovely dinner by the grandma of one of my clients and had some nice fellowship.  I networked with others, found some neat resources (including a fabulous devotional to give to parents of children with special needs!), and learned a great deal too.  This evening I went to the expo...yeahhh!!! Free stuff!! and met even more people there!!

It wasn't until the drive back to the hotel that "it" felt weird.  I was done with my day, wrapped up and going "home" for the evening.  This is when I would typically call my dear hubby just to check in and let him know where I was, what I was doing, when I'd be home, etc.  The only thing is...I can't call him.  It was 9:30 on a Friday night....his folks were in bed, most of my friends were at church (WOLC) and the rest of the few people I called - answering machines!!  Down-and-out club, Party of 1!!!!  I have forgotten what it felt like to be "single"...and almost began to get a little sad when I started thinking about just how blessed I was with such a neat guy.  I thought about the things I really missed and appreciated about my husband...his voice on the phone, his smile, his playful goofiness, his encouragement, predictability, etc.

For those of you who don't know...Curt is now "Partying with the Gypsies" and has already spent a day in Bucharest, Romania!  It's now Saturday morning...7:19 AM there.  He's probably eating breakfast at the hotel.  Then his schedule says they're driving to Varna, Bulgaria where they will minister with the gypsies in the afternoon!  I got a text message from him when he was in Munich, Germany transferring planes.  I'm sure he's having a great time...or at least I hope so.

They will be blogging about their trip...I'll be sure to post it when they do.

Please keep him in your prayers while he's gone.  Tomorrow I will go back to the Down's conference and then later in the afternoon fly to Oklahoma City to see my dad's side of the family -- one MUST keep busy while hubby is away!! 

God bless ya!

Okay...I'm up and can't sleep.  I've been tossing and turning for the last 2 hours so I finally thought, forget it!  I get up and Xanga my thoughts and then maybe, just maybe I can rest for another couple of hours! 

I don't know about you folks...but I have been a busy, busy gal!!  About a week ago I found some office furniture on sale for 60% off.  I was in desperate need for more storage and filing areas....too much stuff without homes.  My organizational system has been a sinking ship for way too long...and I was desiring a fresh new start. I finally realized that all my stuff didn't have a proper place or space to begin with, thus the new furniture purchase!  Monday and Tuesday morning involved emptying my home office of all it's contents.  Tuesday afternoon, my Pops (Roger Brooks, my "adoptive" dad) picked up my beautiful new furniture at the office supply store with his team of guys and delivered it to my empty office!!  The rest of the week was sorting, culling, tossing, giving away and organizing the office contents scattered all over the living areas of my house.  I made a promise to my husband that the house would be presentable by this weekend and with the help of Paula and Ivy...it SPARKLES!!!  I'm pooped from all the hard work!!  But for the most part I'm organized.  I still have about 3 boxes to create files for.  But at least the contents are divided in the proper topics....it will be sooooo much easier now!  Thank God for Paula and Ivy...I would have never gotten here without them.  I'm a high "I" which means I will put off anything at a drop of the hat if there's an opportunity to be social!  Paula knows how to get me to focus and yet not overwhelm me at the same time!  What a blessing!!

It all kinda goes with the messages spoken of late at WOLC.  We gotta get free of the stuff that's holding us back from God's GREATER blessings and callings on our lives.  The devil wants us trapped in chaos and confusion because this keeps us from our divine purpose and typically we then feel trapped, isolated, paralyzed and alone!  The Flylady calls CHAOS - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome due to state of it in our homes - which also keeps us paralyzed in so many ways.  I have a good friend who often said, "Sometimes the best way I can praise the Lord is just to clean my house and stay on top of the things I need too."  Pretty deep, eh?  For me, getting my office and home organized helps me to function better.  AND, I've taken a little advice from P Linda for us working gals...if it's not your talent and you don't have time for it, HIRE someone to get it done!  I am now not afraid to admit that I am NOT superwoman...and only strong people get help!!  I'm not a natural housekeeper and thus, to keep myself and my loving husband happy...I have to bite the bullet and pay for someone else's talents in that area.  But the amazing thing in all that is...it frees me up to do the things I'm talented in and use those talents to bless others!!

It's been a blessing working with Paula, cuz all the extra stuff that I don't need...she takes for her next huge garage sale!  So we're cleaning and getting rid of stuff all at the same time!  She gets blessed with all sorts of scrap paper, pens and pencils (from my many conferences), lotions, nicknacks, etc. that is just holding me back.  And I get blessed by her services!  She also has recently gotten blessed by an awesome sewing job for her business which will bless not only her, but Ivy as well!!  So the blessings keep rolling!!

On another note...not a day goes by that I don't think about my 20 ninos in Bolivia and my good friends there. 

  Since Kim is returning with Amber in October, I have an eye out on eBay for toys at exceptionally good prices that will pack easily in their suitcases.  Ahhh, how I wish I could return with them...but I will be in midst of a new school year and my busy season.  My time will hopefully come next summer!!

My husband is preparing for his mission trip...he's going to Party with the Gypsies with Georgian Banov and leaves EARLY Thursday morning.  He will be gone Aug 2-15th on his first missions trip ever!  He will be in Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.  He's getting very excited and is a bit nervous too.  He wanted to go on this trip by himself...as he's a little socially shy initially and wanted the opportunity to try to push past that.  Sometimes he depends on my overly social personality and boldness which makes up for his initial shyness.  I'm sure he'll have a great trip...but he will be greatly missed!!

Thank God I'm doing my best to stay busy!  I too leave for a Down Syndrome conference in Kansas City on Thursday and then fly out to Oklahoma to visit my dad's side of the family for a couple of days.  When I return, I have several clients to see, reports to write, filing to do, another project with Paula (...the basement!! Yikes!!) and then doing all my prep work for starting up a new school year!  I have a month til school starts and still quite a bit to get done!  So I think I'll be able to keep busy enough and hopefully not miss Curt to the point of tears!  The hardest part will be not talking to each other everyday!!  Hopefully he'll have email everyday...but that's not a given every where he goes....and also, he's not a computer nut like me!  But I know God will get me through!

If you see me when I return, give me an extra hug!  I might need it!!

Well, that's about it folks!!  Now...what are you gonna do to be a blessing to others today??

Peace out!

I´m sorry I haven´t been able to post the last 2 nights.  We´ve been busy finishing up the last of all the projects that we wanted to accomplish here.  I think it is safe to say that the Tres Amigos de Word of Life Church have left a positive impact on the House of Dreams orphanage.  In some ways it feels like we´re leaving our home...and a big chunk out of our hearts!  There is a new TV and DVD player, a new microwave, new windows (broken ones fixed), new railings for the stairs to keep the children safe, toys for the babies, developmental activities for the staff to do with the children and a whole list more!  Not to mention Kim got to deep clean the dinning room and kitchen with Solintia (the cook).

 When I´m in the airports I will post the happenings of the last couple of days.  Keep us in your prayers as we fly...we leave Cochabamba at 10:05 pm our time which is an hour ahead of you folks at home.  We get back to the KC area around  1 or 2ish tomorrow afternoon!

Thank you for all of your prayers...we´ve been healthy and VERY productive!  We´ve felt your love and prayers while we were here!

I hate that this is my very last blog to write while in Cochabamba...I think it´s safe to say that I will be back...that is if it´s okay with my hubby!

Adios Amigos!!!

Oh what a beautiful morning!!  View out our window!!

Today was a busy day at the House of Dreams.  The Tres Amigos arrived at the orphanage at 8:30 and began the day with stretches, exercises, faith confessions and songs while the Mama (house mother of the day) cared for the babies. 

Once the other teachers and staff arrived we then began our projects for the day.  I got online and showed Christina, the social worker and administrator and Yolanda, the doctor on staff, the Disabled Village Children’s book and other free resources online.  They were very excited about the wealth of information I was able to give them.  I then went to the copy/office supply shop to make copies of developmental handouts and get what I need to make developmental posters for each the babies.  I went to the copy shop by myself and my VERY limited Spanish.  After about 10 minutes the young girl running the shop told me she knew some English – PTL!!  I was there for about an hour and half and made about 500 copies.  The young lady helping me was so helpful and allowed me behind the counter to find the supplies I needed while she made my copies.  While I was there an older lady came in and was copying worksheets for children as well.  She knew a little bit of English so I struck up a conversation with her.  Turns out, she teaches psychology at the local University and also works with young children helping them with their handwriting development, etc.  We had a real nice chat and she wished me well with my work at the House of Dreams.  I walked out of the office supply shop paying about $30 for what would have probably cost me about $100-120 in the States!

When I came back to the orphanage, John and Kim had made great headway on putting up the additional railings on the first flight of stairs. 

Lunch today was at d’Kaffe.  I had a Cochabamba specialty, Grande Simpana (?) – basically a plate size, very thin chicken fried steak, on top of a bed of rice with fresh salsa and two fried eggs on top.  It was definitely more than one meal!! 

We had a really nice conversation with DaRonn regarding some of the inner-workings of his ministry and the orphanage.   Christ Nation Church is a bit different than most churches in that he has several doctors, lawyers, dentists, and other professionals within the church.  DaRonn does an excellent job of teaching his members the Word.  Each Sunday they are given a bulletin with a written portion that follows along with his sermon, with a couple of areas to fill in the blanks.  The Power Point goes along with the sermon and bulletin.  Then later in the week he emails the members his complete sermon notes.  He typically speaks in series and then when he has completed the series he has written a book.  His church has a small bookstore; however it’s one of the only Christian bookstores (and the largest) in Cochabamba.  This is why we carried so many books with us when we came!! 

DaRonn also shared about some of the financial structure of orphanage.  At this point about 50% of the orphans have sponsorship, which means it’s financial running at about 50-60% of what it truly needs.  Chiqui stated earlier this week that almost everything from the carpets to the curtains to the children’s clothes, beds and toys are donations!!  The House of Dreams has been running almost one year and the main priority has been the children’s medical, health and nutritional needs…and now that those areas are being met they really want to begin focusing more on their developmental needs.  I pray that in reading this blog, that you feel the tug in your heart to sponsor one of these precious children.  It costs about $100/month to meet all of their needs (food, medical needs, staff support, education, etc.) and sponsorships start at a mere $30/month.  That’s basically 6-7 latte’s at Starbucks folks!!  All of us fritter away $30 without even realizing we’ve done it!  Why not pass those 30 bucks to a place where it goes to support and drastically change the future of a child who once was abandoned or abused?  Click here if you’re ready to commit!!

After lunch we returned to the orphanage to go on an outing to a local park with the kids.  There were 7 of us adults to 14 little ones…and it still seemed like we needed more hands at times!!  As you can tell, we all had a whole lot of fun!!

When we returned from the park, we walked up the stairs with the new protective railings that John finished while we were gone!  When we got to the top we had another fun surprise!!  (Background info – on Monday, Chiqui told Kim and I that they were really hoping for a TV and DVD setup for the children to help out in some of those times when the staffing was extremely limited (from 6- 8:30ish in the morning there is only one staff member for 20 children plus the cook).   So the Tres Amigos gathered the $250 needed to purchase the TV, DVD player and wall mount and hopefully have enough left over for some educational and Christian DVDs.)  So when we all climbed up the stairs when we got back home, we saw John and Chiqui just putting the finishing touches on the TV setup – you should have seen the smiles!!!  Even DaRonn was excited about the set up!! 

The evening ended with the usual … dinner (we had enough leftovers that we told DaRonn not to worry about taking us out for dinner), the internet café, and phone calls.  I had plenty of homework tonight…I gathered some photos for DaRonn, devised a rough draft of a daily schedule for the older children with developmentally appropriate activities, collated the copies I had made and burned a CD of children’s music in Spanish. 

Whew!!  It’s been a long day…but it’s been a productive one!!  And we have had a lot of fun in the midst of it!

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support!  We all covet them…keep John in your prayers, he had a little bout of stomach stuff today.  Don’t worry, Kim & I made sure that he drank plenty of water and ate like he was suppose to.  He had taken some meds and by this evening his face was rosier and he said he was feeling much better.  John’s a pretty hard worker and doesn’t complain much at all.  Kim and I had a sneaky feeling he was feeling worse than he actually led on, but he still kept on!  I’m glad he’s feeling much better and pray he’s back at 100% tomorrow!

Oh…in other news...we have new Xanga friend folks!!  Marisol has just started her blog after I encouraged her to do so.  She has just opened up her 24/7 prayer center and café in a new building this past Friday.  I think she’ll have a lot of great things to write about as well.  Slip on over and welcome her to the Xanga gang!!

Tomorrow has in store another trip to the eye doctor with 5 ninos, a possible shopping trip for stimulating and developmental toys for the babies, and more projects to work on!!

Today I woke with excited anticipation…the first time was about 5 AM—way too early to actually get up, so instead I prayed and asked the Lord for guidance for my time with the staff at the House of Dreams Orphanage.  I fell back asleep dreaming about all the things that I wanted to ask Chiqui, the director and psychologist, and things I’d like to get accomplished during my time here.  When I awoke again it was 6:45 – a decent time to get up and start the day.  When I got up…Jaun the Breakfast Chef started his breakfast specialty of bacon and eggs.  I decided to clean up the kitchen and wash dishes while the water for the coffee was boiling.  I also was looking over a resource book that I brought to help the staff.   I then decided I had better make my breakfast as time was ticking away quickly.  I thought I’d get on the Oats Wagon and made a delightful bowl of oatmeal with raisins, a little raw sugar, butter and guineos (those itty bitty bananas).  It was YUMMY!!

I had just finished eating my breakfast when the phone rang; it was DaRonn telling me that the children were just leaving to go to the eye doctor.  I looked at my watch, it was 5 after 8 o’clock - originally our schedule said we were to be at the orphanage at 8:30.  So needless to say, I was still in my pajamas!  Kim and I quick finished getting ready and then DaRonn sent us in a cab to the Ophthalmology office. 

When we rounded the corner into the courtyard of the office, the children saw us and yelled, “Tia! Tia!” (Tia = Aunt is Spanish; the children call all women Tia and men Tio, for uncle).  Chiqui and Yolanda, the staff doctor for the orphanage, were there with Estephany, Joselin, Roberto, Gabriel, and Abigail.  We waited for about 10 minutes before the children’s names were called.  Estephany, Joselin and Roberto were the first group seen by Dr. Gypsy Rocha.  Dr. Gypsy did a fabulous job with the children.  I brought along a couple of light up toys that I use when assessing vision skills which turned out to be very helpful!  I was amazed at how well behaved the children were for their first trip to the eye doctor!  Most of the children’s vision was fine, except for a case of conjunctivitis for Gabriel requiring eye drops and a significantly crossed eye for Roberto.   From Dr. Gypsy’s report Roberto will probably require eye surgery to correct his eye.  While we were there the head doctor saw me and asked me a question in Spanish…I quickly told him “no espanol”.  He stated he spoke English, so I told him who I was and thanked him for his services.  He told me that it was a privilege to work with our association and asked if we were well attended.  I quickly told him that the services were excellent and just as good as any that I had seen within the States.  With that he smiled as I again thanked him so much…with tears in my eyes!  I later found out that he agreed to only charge 5 Bolivianos per vision exam for each child (typically it’s 10-15 Bolivianos! 8 Bolivianos = $1).  What a blessing!!  We will return to take 2 more groups of children on Wednesday and Friday.  Before I leave, I plan on writing Dr. Gypsy and the head doctor a thank you note…I am so relieved that the children are receiving superb vision services!

 Gabriel

Jocilyn

Roberto

After we completed the vision exams, we went out to hail a taxi.  Yolanda had to head back to her clinic, so that left Chiqui, Kim and myself and 5 ninos (children).  The eight of us squeezed into a little Nissan Sentra, so there were nine of us in one itty bitty little car! 

As you can probably figure out, children are not required to be in car seats and adults are not required to wear seatbelts in Bolivia.  I guess if you’re as squeezed in as we were, if you were to have an accident you probably wouldn’t move anyway, because there was no where else to move in the taxi!  So far as I can tell, there are only about 3 rules while driving in Bolivia: 1) Red light means stop, 2) Green light means go and 3) no right hand turns on Red lights.  PLEASE NOTE – there is no “Pedestrians have the right away” rule in Bolivia.  If you in the street, by golly you’re fair game!  In fact, all drivers are required to carry insurance for in case you hit a pedestrian!  Therefore crossing the streets here in Cochabamba is a fine science!!  It also seems that there are no lane rules or speed limits!  This makes taking a taxi a very exciting adventure!

When we returned to the Orphanage the children went up to VBS while I got an opportunity to talk to Chiqui.  Kim was my interpreter, however there were several times when Chiqui understood me without interpretation.  I told her about my experience in child development and what Occupational Therapy means, and how OTs help children.  I also got to tell her a little bit about my testimony of starting my own business and how being here in Bolivia with her was a dream God helped to come true.  There were several times during that 2 ½ hours that we all were in tears…God is so good!  Chiqui and I came up with a list of things for me to do and we both left our meeting very excited…me with assurance that my skills were going to be put to good service and her with the knowledge of developmentally appropriate activities for the children and staff training.  There is nothing better in life than knowing you are walking in your divine purpose and are being fully used by God to bless others in need!

The House of Dreams is limited in almost every possible resource.  They are operating on a shoe string budget with limited staffing and very few toys.  The staff is very hard working and takes good care of the children.  Dr. Yolanda is there in the mornings several days a week to assist with the medical needs.  Most of these children have either been abandoned, abused or malnourished (or a combination of those factors) prior to coming to the orphanage.  The staff that work directly with the children are taking classes in Montessori (preschool) and child development and are also required to take Bible classes each morning they work.  Thus far, their primary focus has been on the nourishment and health issues of each child.  Now that most of the health/medical needs are being address, Chiqui is ready to focus on the children’s development and daily activities – which is right up my alley!

We then broke for lunch – DaRonn took Cami and us the Tres Amigos to a Chinese restaurant.  This was Cami’s first time to eat Chinese (evidently they only have Mexican restaurants in Texas where she’s from! Smile!).  So we had to get a picture of her having Chinese food in Bolivia!!

 After lunch I returned to the orphanage and with the help of Christina, the social worker and administrator, and Cami, my interpreter, evaluated the six babies– Jhoselin Isaura (11 months), Daniel (10 months), Jhoana (10 months), Edgar (7 months), Maria Liz (12 months) and Adriana (6 months).  We placed a blanket on the floor and I looked over their gross motor skills (rolling, weight bearing on arms while on tummy, sitting, transitions in/out of sitting and laying, crawling, weight bearing while standing, etc.), fine motor/hand skills (grasping toys, banging blocks, clapping hands, putting blocks in a container, giving me a block, etc.), and vision abilities.  I also asked about each child’s medical and social histories. 

Jhoana

Several of them were abandoned (one was left in a trash can), several were severally malnourished and some had parents who were drug addicts – stories that just make you cry.  All of the children were moderately to significantly behind developmentally.  After 2 hours of observing the babies I had a pretty good idea where each child was performing and what were the next steps of development needed to be obtained. 

Edgar & Jhoana

Daniel (sitting on left), Maria Liz, Adriana (lying on back) and Jocylin (on tummy)

Maria Liz -12 months 

Over the course of the next several days I will be putting together activities for each of the babies and also helping the staff come up with a means to track and document developmental progress on each child.  I then asked to see what toys the babies had…the staff brought out the few they had.  Had I known what they had, I would have packed up all the duplicates I have at home…it would have been worth paying the extra money for another suitcase!  I think when I get home I am going to try put together some way to do a fundraiser to raise money for developmentally appropriate and education toys and activities for the children at the House of Dreams.  If you’re interested in donating to the cause, just message me…I’ll tell you how to make sure the money gets to the right place!

By the way, while I was with the babies, Chiqui, Kim and John traipsed all over the local neighborhood (probably 3-4 miles) gathering supplies to make the stairs safe in the orphanage.  There’s no such thing as Lowe’s or Home Depot, so they ended up going to about 7 places to gather railings, screws, bolts, a wrench, drill bits, etc.  One place would have metal tubing but not lag screws; another would have lag screws but not concrete anchors.  DaRonn says what you can accomplish in one day in the US takes 7 days (or more) here in Bolivia.  By the end of their day they had all the supplies John needs to fix the stairs so they are safe for the children!  He’ll begin to work on them tomorrow.

Free time was next on the agenda!  So I headed to the internet café to post the 2 blogs I had ready to go.  They tend to be lengthy…but it gives you a good bird’s eye view of what we’re doing.  The rest of the night is resting and relaxing while doing my homework and prep for the next day.  There’s a great deal to be done…but when we leave, I believe we will left a positive mark on the House of Dreams!

When I started Sonshine Therapy Services 4 years ago, I told the Lord I wanted to go and use my Occupational Therapy in an orphanage in another country.  Today the beginning of that dream came true!  God is so good!!

Buenos Noches Amigos!

 Note - This is the 2nd post today...you might want to scroll down and read the other post first.

Hola from Bolivia!!  Click here to see my video message to you!!  It will take a moment or two to download (it will pull up a video player...it´s safe to download).

Once again we started our day with Breakfast a la Jaun and then went to church at Iglesia Christo Nacion (Christ Nation Church).  John and I attended the 9 AM service while Kim spoke to the Jr. Highers.  Worship was beautiful…they even sang a couple songs that I knew in English, although the words on the screen were in Spanish!!  I didn’t realize I was so dependent on the words on the video screens, so I made up my own or tried to sing in Spanish…hopefully the Lord was still blessed anyway!  DaRonn spoke on the Fruits of the Spirits, specifically on Kindness.  The sermon was fabulous with good illustrations and definitions of what it means to be Christ-like and share kindness with ALL those around you.  

After first service was over, John and I helped Aldo (one of DaRonn’s interns from Chile) with the 2-5 year old Sunday School class.  Aldo was a great leader and had several games and songs for the children. 

The Dizzy Game

John and I got right in there and played along and was able to half way understand what was going on thanks to our interpreters Gabrielle and Timothy (part of the Washington gang). 

My favorite part of Sunday School was a song that had hand motions that we sang about 4 times – it was about having faith as small as a mustard seed and moving mountains with the words you speak! 

What a powerful song for the children to sing!!  Aldo was so kind to let me download it to my computer, so I will try to upload it if I can figure it out!  You’ll love it!!  (The song is Montana by Salvador)

After church the Washington family and the Tres Amigos (John, Kim and I) went out for lunch.  We hopped in 2 taxis, Angie and the 4 kids and I in one and John, Kim and DaRonn in the other.  They took us to “Bufalo” a Brazilian buffet style restaurant.  The restaurant had a beautiful buffet with primarily salads and side items and then every 3-4 minutes the waiters would bring different meats (chicken, steak, hot sausage, chicken hearts, cow’s stomach, etc.)  on huge skewers and then cut off bits with large knifes right there at the table. 

The restaurant was beautiful with lots of plants and brightly colored table clothes.  This is definitely one of the nicer places to eat in Cochabamba!  The food was delicious and all of us left more than satisfied!  We all had such a nice time at dinner...and the kids were so sweet and cuddly!  Timothy and John are now the best of buds!!

After lunch we walked next door to the supermarket to get some more bottled water and then hopped back into the taxis back to our apartment.  Once we got back the Tres Amigos and Cami (the young lady from Tulsa) headed out to get our internet fix!  We walked probably 2-3 miles and finally found a place that would let me use a CD to upload my pictures and Word file to Xanga.  Last night I figured out how to make the pictures smaller so they zipped online in about 2 minutes! YEAH! Mucho better than 2 hours!!  Then I discovered that I saved the Word document in a file that was incompatible with the computers, and of course, I left my laptop back at the apartment! UGH!!   So I think I figured out all my technical glitches and have learned to always take my laptop to the Internet cafés. 

While at the internet café I got to talk to my brother who was VERY surprised to hear my voice.  It’s so much fun calling people because they don’t expect it.

Well, it’s time to get ready for church…I’ll write more later!  Adios!

Church tonight was so good!  DaRonn is doing a series in the evening services on the Gifts of the Spirit.  Tonight he spoke on the manifestation of miracles.  It was so rich and very well delivered!  Kim sat between John and I and helped interpret, however there were several times when John and I had figured out what DaRonn was saying before she leaned over to tell us!  The Power Point slides helped extremely!  For the Word of Lifers out there, DaRonn told the testimony of the woman bank manager who declared the blood of Jesus during the bank robbery and ended up helping the police get the robber and while keeping her staff safe from harm.  It was kind of neat hearing the story in Spanish!  DaRonn is an excellent speaker and very dramatic.  He speaks a strong Faith message that empowers all those who are listening!

Christ Nation Church almost feels like being back at home at Word of Life…although it’s in Spanish!  Praise and worship is loud, upbeat, yet moving in the Spirit.  There are 2 colorful banners that outline the center video screen and 2 televisions on each side that gives words to the worship music or Power Point slides during the sermon.  They even have video announcements!!  During a fellowship break, there was a count-down timer…it was the same one that we use to count down the last 5 minutes before church starts (the black & white digital and non-digital clocks).  I asked DaRonn if he got that from WOLC’s media department...nope, he found it online – what a crazy coincidence!   You can even watch the service live online!! 

After service was over, we had Burger King for dinner.  Kind of quiet at the apartment tonight…Marisol is baking cookies and muffins for the café at the 24/7 prayer chapel (more WOLC likeness – coffee, muffins and 24/7 prayer!!!).

I’m telling you if I just could speak Spanish I could live here!!  Kim is reading a novel and John is reading in his room.  John and I are the night owls…I wasn’t tired when everyone went to bed last night, so I started reading my book and got lost in the drama.  Next thing I knew I looked at my watch and it was 1:00.  I told myself I would finish the chapter and I did…but then I read the first paragraph of the next chapter and was hooked!!  After finishing the 2^nd chapter I went to bed at about 1:15ish.  When I turned out all the lights I saw lights on down the hall…evidently John was still reading…or fell asleep while reading and the lights were still on! 

Well, I guess that wraps up the day!  Tomorrow I met with Chiqui, the director of the orphanage, to figure out a game plan on how I can help her and her staff best.  I’ll be spending most of the week checking out where the kids are developmentally, doing vision screenings and taking some to see an eye doctor, and then helping the staff in what ever way I can.  Please keep me in your prayers…I by no means want to accidently offend anyone or the Bolivian culture.  I’m sure I will have to be very creative at times.

Four years ago I told the Lord when I started my business, Sonshine Therapy Services, that it was my dream to go every 2-3 years and travel to an orphanage to use my skills for Him there.  Now I’m here in Bolivia fulfilling a dream!  God is so good…I type with tears in my eyes!  I just know it’s gonna be a powerful week.  I hope that I can bless others as much, if not more than I’ve already been blessed just by being here!

Buenas noches!

Today I woke up and got ready for a real treat…John fixed us girls an American breakfast of bacon and eggs and it was yummy!!  I call this Breakfast a la Juan!!

After our fulfilling meal, Angie took us on her weekly trip to the local farmer’s market.   It was a short 3-4 blocks from our apartment and the weather was perfect!!   The market vendors literally sell most any household items and food products there.  In the air was the sound of Latino music that just made you want to add a hop-skip to your step.  As we entered the market Angie had Rodrigo, a local boy who works at the market, follow behind with a wheelbarrow as we shopped. 

We passed through the meat area and went straight to buy some household products and then up the fruit aisle.  There were so many types and varieties of fruits of different colors and sizes.  John wanted some guineos (little itty bitty bananas about 3 inches long) and could barely wait to get home to wash them before eating one!! 

We bought some fruit to have at the apartment for snacks and breakfast.  We then headed up a slight hill to the veggie area…once again a bright and colorful display of veggies of all sizes!  Occasionally you’d get a good whiff of garlic as the young ladies peddling passed with garlic bundles.  

When we were done Rodrigo followed us to the taxi…and off we headed back to our Bolivian home!

We quickly put away our wares and baptized our fruit in bleach water and then headed out to the Internet café to write and call home. We discovered it costs us 6 Bolivianos (8 Bolivianos = $1 US) to call home and talk for 15 minutes!  Yahoo!!  I spent about 2.5 hours downloading my pictures and writing my blog – sure hope you folks enjoy this!!  I’ve figured out some shortcuts so I’m hoping to get that down to about 30 minutes next time!

We had lunch at a pizzeria with DaRonn & Angie and baby Tyler and discussed the upcoming days and also the ideas we had for projects, etc.  John is interesting in helping build some shelves and Kim, a professional cleaner by trade, is itching to deep clean anywhere that needs it.  And of course, I can’t wait to play with the kids and see what I can do to help out as well.  By the sounds of it, we will probably be spending most of our time in the orphanage helping out…which we’re all excited about!

After lunch Kim and I headed back down to the Internet café as I was determined to get all those pictures added to my blog!  Kim finally got to talk to her hubby too!  When I finally got done with my internet chores it was time to rush back and meet Angie for our tour of the Christo!!

We took a taxi all the way up to the top of the Christo mount.  The last 2 miles or so was a cobblestone road that snaked up to the very top.  Our little taxi driver drove so fast and even passed cars while going around blind curves on a two lane road!!  At one point I got just a tad anxious and said, “Oh sweet Jesus!!” in prayer.  We finally made it to the parking lot at the top…now we just had to climb 6 flights of stairs to be at the level to walk around the Christo.  After the second flight my heart was beating fast and I was starting to get winded; the altitude was starting to get me…we were only 2,840 meters above sea level!  We finally made it to the top and got some fabulous pictures.  The town of Cochabamba complete surrounds the mountain of the Christo, so the view was astounding.  Angie and Cami (a young woman from Tulsa) climbed the 1,400 steps to the top of the Christo earlier today – they’re superwomen!!   After our view at the top of Christo mount we hopped back into the taxi for a VERY bumpy ride back to the bottom!

For dinner we ate at Burger King, which tasted exactly like home!!  I ordered an apple pie for desert in honor of the Colonel…sorry Colonel, no McD’s in Bolivia – this was the closest thing to it!! 

As you can see Baby Tyler was pretty cuddly tonight!!  

The rest of the evening was free time…which we used to get ready for tomorrow and I spent writing this lovely blog!

Hope this was somewhat interesting and you got a little taste of our journey thus far in Bolivia!

Tomorrow is church day!  Church in the morning, lunch, and then evening church!! 

Adios amigos!!

Our little but mighty team of three met at Word of Life at 9 am on Thursday, July 5^th to embark on our journey to Bolivia.  We spent 30 minutes packing more books and playing the “weighing game” with our luggage to get maximum cargo within the 50 lb baggage allotment.  Playing this game with a fluctuating scale was very interesting!  Needless to say, we got it all packed, only to play the game again outside the airport using the curbside check-in scale.  The good news is that we got EVERY single book and item we wanted to take in our bags!! 

Our flights went pretty smoothly for the most part.  At both Chicago and Miami our flights were delayed, but it didn’t stop our enthusiasm for the trip!  On the flight from Chicago to Miami, Kim and I really started to get to know each other by sharing our testimonies and stories of God’s goodness.  The last 10 minutes of our flight the lady sitting next to me, Sarah, stated that she heard us talking and wanted to give us a prayer request.  She was the host mom for an international student from Kenya 10 years ago and she was flying to go see her.   Caroline, the young lady from Kenya, had separated from her abusive husband and was sharing custody of their 10-month old daughter, Trinity.  On June 11^th, Trinity’s father did not return Trinity to her mother and was missing for the past 3 weeks.  The police finally located her and at her father this past week at his parent’s home in Chicago.  There was a court order for him to return the child by the 6^th.  Sarah wanted us to pray for Trinity’s safe return and for her mother and father.   I knew it was a God-incidence as 2 days prior that seat was Amber’s seat (the team member who had to reschedule her trip due to passport issues).  We asked her if we could pray for her at that very moment and then did.  I have her email address, so hopefully I will have word soon that Trinity and Caroline are united again!  We knew this was the beginning of our ministering on this trip!

Once in Miami we had to gather our luggage and transport them to Aerosur, the Bolivian airline that would take us to Cochabamba.  John was a great asset retrieving the bags off the conveyer belt as our luggage was HEAVY.  For all his hard work, Kim and I then pushed the carts to the Aerosur counters.  When we made it to our gate it looked as if we had already entered a 3^rd world country.  Hardly anyone spoke English, the place smelled musty, the air conditioning mustn’t been working properly and the suspended ceiling had no tiles in it!! 

And this was just Miami!!!  After an 1 ½ hour delay, the lovely, slender flight attendants showed up in their tailored teal green suits with their hair slicked back in the same uniform bun adorned with pill box hats and flawless makeup.  These girls made flight attending look glamorous!!  I imagine that is how it was 20-30 years ago when people flew.

John Powell waiting for flight in Miami...that´s not his purse...it´s mine!!  Kim´s calling her honey!

Due to earlier issues with not having enough coach seats when planning our flights, I paid extra to fly first class in order to keep us together as a group with our lovely interpreter Kim!!  I’m so glad that I did so!  I have never flown first class and I must say it’s an experience everyone must have at least once in their lives!!  I immediately was given a drink and I was parched as all the stores in our terminal at Miami were closed.  This meant we missed our dinner…and our flight left at Midnight thirty!!  Once we were up in the air, I had my choice of fish, cordon bleu or pasta for dinner!  Thank you JESUS!!!  The pasta was good…but a little too rich.  I was given a pair of slippers and a little kit with socks, an eye mask scented with lavender, toothbrush and paste, hand lotion and a comb!  Way cool…gifts in First Class!!!  I then settled in with my iPod and eye mask and had a good 5 hour snooze before I woke up…this time to fruit and cheese.  On our next flight from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba I was given a hot breakfast…some sort of egg omelet but it was grayish black.  I decided to skip that!  This flight was short and all in Spanish…well, they interpreted it into English…but I didn’t understand a word of it! 

Once we got to Cochabamba our small and might team all were praying silently that we would make through Bolivian customs without a glitch.  We were carrying about a thousand dollars worth of Christian literature in Spanish and if our luggage was searched they could possibly been taken.  Our God is good and answered our prayers and we walked through customs without even a question being asked about our stay. 

My View from the plane of El Christo!

We arrived at about 8:30 am and DaRonn took us straight to the apartment that we will be staying at.  It’s been kind of a weird day…he had us take it easy as the change on our bodies with the altitude can be a bit taxing.  We’ve all felt a little woozy at times…rest and water and the occasional Advil helps some.

We were given a tour of the grounds and got to spend 30 minutes at the orphanage with the children.  The children took to us instantly…little Daniel would let me put him back down in his crib…I tried 5 times and each time he’d blink and huge elephant tears would come out of both eyes as his little face turned beet red!  He had me at ‘hola!!!

The 24/7 prayer chapel

This evening we attending the inaugural opening of the 24/7 pray chapel that Marisol has opened.  It was a beautiful building…small and intimate.  When we entered the prayer room it felt the same as walking into the Upper Room at WOLC. 

Well, I gotta get to bed folks.  Hopefully I’ll get to post this tomorrow.  Tomorrow is another light fun day before DaRonn puts us all to work!  I’m excited and eager to help the staff figure out how to best promote the children’s development.

Keep posted…tis only the beginning of exciting times in Bolivia!

P.S.  Pictures may have to come later...this computer is extremely slow!!

Now that you have a working soundtrack in your mind, I'll post the latest.  No, I'm not dead...although if you've been a faithful follower of my blog, you just might thinks so!  School's out...which means I should have more time.  But I've been working on projects around the house AND getting ready to leave for a trip to Bolivia!!

I'm busy packing today as I leave tomorrow (the 5th) for Cochabamba, Bolivia to spend 10 days with Angie & DaRonn Washington and Christ Nation Ministries.  I think I will have more toys/Occupational Therapy stuff than clothes in my suitcase.  I've really been praying the Lord would speak to me about what to take and prepare, etc.  I found an awesome book, Disabled Village Children by David Werner (in both English AND Spanish) and a weblink which has all this same info (and a wealth of more info) online for FREE!!!  Of course I find the info online after I buy the books.  But the info in these books is incredible...and pretty easy to understand.  So that in itself is truly a blessing! 

We've encountered some travel difficulties prior to our trip...one girl isn't able to come due to passport difficulties and scheduling American & Bolivian airfare was at times a little challenging, but it's all worked out now.  Word of Advice/Encouragement for fellow traveler's out there:  If you have even the slightest remotest possibility of traveling overseas in the next year or so, check your passport ... you need to have more than 6 months before your expiration date in order to travel (I learned that the HARD way).  Also, the new Passport system is slower than molasses.  Be safe, update or get your passport NOW that way you won't have to worry about the hassles and you'll be ready when God calls you to travel!

I've also learned that I can't touch fireworks - with the Terror Alert Elevated it's probably not a good idea to travel with gun powder on your hands!  Shucks!  I was ready for a night of lighting and playing with fireworks with Pops (Roger Brooks).  I guess I'll settle for a lawn chair and watch the festivities with the other ladies!! No offense ladies...it's really more fun to light and then run...and the jump when it goes off (it "scares" me every time!!).

So please keep John P., Kim N. and myself in your prayers from now until the 15th!  We have to be careful of what we eat and especially drink.  Pray we stay healthy and don't have any difficulties with the altitude.  Pray we use our God given talents to the best of our abilities to bless others in need.  Pray God gives us Words to speak that are of relevance to those who are listening.  Pray for no more travel difficulties! 

I'm so excited that I can barely focus to pack!! Good thing I've got a "pile of stuff" that I've collected for days to get me started. 

Check back...as I'm sure I'll have some fun posts with beautiful kiddos from the orphanage and interesting tidbits from Bolivia!

Adios amigos!!

Update - the young lady with passport issues will be able to go in October!  Surely she'll have her passport by then!