Bolivia blog pt. 1

A while back me and my family went to Bolivia to work in an orphanage. I felt pretty much on autopilot most of the time and wasn’t fully aware of what was happening around me. Upon reflection, I’ve seen how God was using our time there to fulfill and spark dreams. Mine, my mom’s, and a precious little girl’s

from the orphanage.

Me

A little back story as to why I was so out of it; I had just finished the World Race. I had 13 days at home before I packed up and went back on the mission field to Bolivia. That was just fine with me, because I wasn’t planning to come home in the first place. When I was at training camp for the World Race, before even leaving for our first country, I was in my tent researching what I could do after it ended. I felt strongly that God had told me not to go home after the race, so when they announced our final debrief would be in the states, instead of international, I did have a slight breakdown.

I also was trying to push off the fear I had of life in the States. I’ve had to decide the next step in my life several times, after leaving a job, graduating high school, graduating college, and every single time I return home from a foreign country. I’ve had my fair share of scary experiences around the world, but nothing even came close to scaring me as much as reintegration into life in the States.

My lil best friend. She'd wake up every morning and say "Tia Aaaaaaaaadddddddiiiiieeee"

I felt I didn’t fit in here anymore, and I was constantly disappointed by being unable to rectify the things I had seen abroad, and the way of life in the states. Once or twice I had to pull over my car cause I was sobbing and feeling so overwhelmed by the lives of people I knew internationally and how I felt I was doing nothing to help them by being home.

There’s a pressure in the states to always be producing, always a few steps ahead, and a strong emphasis on romantic relationships and finances. I was terrified to be in this culture for an extended period. So going to Bolivia felt like a bandaid on my problem, but one I was extremely grateful for.

My mom

My mom raised all of us girls in a strong Christian home. We all did dance and have tons of dance costumes taking up space in our basement. My mom always said her dream was to take costumes and dance shoes to communities that didn’t have easy access to them, and take the whole family on a mission trip where we could teach the kids foundations of dance and have a recital where they could wear the costumes. This looked extremely unlikely for several years specifically for me, as I was a very angsty teenager, more than happy to leave my faith and anything related to my family far behind me.

While I was in Ecuador on the race, my mom and little sister got the chance to go to the orphanage in Bolivia for the first time. They fell in love with the kids and came back full of stories, so excited for us all to go experience it together.

Ellie*

*name changed for safety

One of the girls they came home telling stories about was named Ellie. She was the oldest of her 3 siblings at the orphanage, but had many siblings outside of the orphanage that she had never known. Child protective services stepped in when they found her at 3 crawling on the bar while her mom was getting blackout drunk, and her little sister at a little under 2 years old was crawling on the side of the road in front of the bar. Ellie had dreams of being a dancer, but had no formal training. Still, she would find YouTube videos to teach her and dance around, playing the part of ballerina.

God converged all of these dreams during our time in Bolivia. It’s a very sweet picture of how He cares for the little things, and when you submit your desires to Him, He gives you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the Lord,and he will give you the desires of your heart.“

Continued in pt. 2 ....