WARNING: This entry is very long...you have my permission to skim read :-)
Four years ago, I got on a plane flying north, leaving behind the country where I was born and raised--Bolivia, a country with a very special place in my heart. I knew I wanted to return one day, but I had no idea how long it would take for me to return or what experiences I would live in between.
The last four years have been filled with joys and challenges. I spent three very special years going to Emmaus Bible College in Dubuque, Iowa. There I learnt, grew, and made friendships I hope will last a lifetime. The fourth year was spent living and working in Victoria, on Vancouver Island, in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. There I was challenged, grew some more, and enjoyed being close to my relatives.
A big part of the last several years has been learning to be content with where God had me--North America. Now, all of a sudden, and maybe a little sooner than I expected, God has opened up the doors, and I am back in the country I love so much.
Over the years God has used my own hearing loss, among other things, to place a burden on my heart for those who cannot hear at all--the deaf. During my late teens, I volunteered at a small deaf school in Potosi (my hometown), and I became increasingly aware of the needs of the deaf in Bolivia, South America. At one point, I visited a Christian school for the deaf just outside of Cochabamba (the third largest city in Bolivia). All those years ago, I began to dream about one day living and volunteering at that school--it seemed like the perfect place to go and immerse myself in sign language and deaf culture. All these years later, God is making that dream come true!
This last Wednesday, July 29th, I arrived in the La Paz airport after spending several weeks in the States with friends on the way down. My parents and sister Elisa were at the airport waiting for me. Going from the 37 C. (100 F.) summer heat of Dallas, Texas, to the 2 C. (35 F.) winter cold of La Paz was quite a drastic change!
It has been said you can never go back...places change and people move on. I am not returning to the Bolivia of my childhood and teens. Circumstances are so different now! My parents no longer live in Potosi (where I grew up). None of my three brothers live here now. I am no longer here as an MK, dependent on my parents, but as an independent adult.
I confess I feel a little stressed out by all the changes and having to adapt to living in a developing country. Yes...I'm adapting! Who would have thought that four years would change me so much? There are so many little details that add up. I have to remember to put the TP in the garbage vs. the toilet. Shopping is so much more complicated, and I have the mental strain of trying to divide the price by six to get an approximate idea of the cost in Canadian dollars. I can't relax when I'm out on the streets, worrying about thieves. I find I am bothered by the filth and the poverty...
I don't want to get so focused on the annoying/difficult details of life that I get weighed down. I have been trying to remind myself that it doesn't matter where I live--life will have its challenges. Just today a poem came to mind--"Bloom where you are planted." I believe this is where God wants me right now, and I want to accept the challenges and bloom where God has planted me!
On Tuesday my parents are planning to driving me to the "Centro Cristiano para Sordos Vinto"
(the Christian deaf school). It is about five or six hours from here. It is exciting, and yet I feel apprehension at the same time. As my dream is about to become a reality, I realize that there are going to be challenges, and it is not going to be all rosy-colored and glamorous...
PRAISE:
-PRAISE God for a safe and uneventful trip down to Bolivia.
-PRIASE God for His overabundant provision.
-PRAISE God for the advantage of being a Bolivian citizen--it makes things so much easier entering and remaining in the country!!!
-PRAISE God for the support I have from my family and friends here in Bolivia (I have a growing appreciation for people who go to a mission field where they know no one!)
-PRAISE God for a knowledge of the language and culture (If I'm finding adjusting a little hard, I really have to admire those who go to a country where the language and culture is completely unfamiliar!)
PRAYER REQUESTS:
-That I would get all the things done I need to get done before moving to the deaf school (e.g. shopping, opening a bank account, etc.)
-That I would keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and not get weighed down by circumstances and the annoying/difficult details of life in Bolivia.
-That His joy would be my strength.
-That His love would be my motivator.
-That I would not lose sight of my vision and forget why I am here.
