|
When most of us signed up for the Bolivian youth mission trip we thought we would be sightseeing for a few days and then helping in the construction of a clinic. But the trip was so MUCH more than that! Not only did we get to experience the sights, sounds, smells, and food of Bolivia, but we were welcomed into a community that held lessons for us that most of us didn't anticipate.
 |
|
|
|
|
CGVs learn about old-fashioned sugar cane production during a visit to El Cidral Farm
|
|
|
On Saturday, we visited a sugar cane farm to see how sugar was made. They grow the sugar cane and push it through rollers powered by a horse to squeeze the "milk" out of it. They boil the "milk" and the sugar comes to the top where they skim it off. We also got to milk cows and taste the freshest milk anywhere (it was still warm!).
On Sunday, we attended a service at a local Methodist church with an amazingly talented youth band and shared one of our favorite songs with them. They gave us a huge welcome song and gave each of us handmade gifts. We also visited the city of Santa Cruz where we shopped at an artisan market, strolled through the plaza with a beautiful Catholic church, and had unbelievable ice cream at a local shop.
|
|
 |
|
|
Laura gets lots of hugs from Bolivian children
|
|
|
|
After the church service we went to the Hogar de Ninas or the girl's orphanage. The little girls were so adorable, sharing smiles, hugs, and more with all of us. We brought them gifts and played with them for about two hours. Most of us didn't want to leave and were anxious to visit them again later in the week! They loved taking pictures with our cameras and seeing their faces on the digital screens.
|
|
|
|
|
Erick hauls sand to be mixed into cement for the Maternal & Child Center
|
|
|
During the week, we began working on the Cruz Roja clinic, a part of the Consejo de Salad Rural Andino (CSRA) which provides care to the people of the community and has been very successful in reducing the infant mortality from diarrheal illnesses, pneumonia, poor water quality, and lack of immunizations. The CSRA system also is working to improve the care of women of childbearing age with the expansion of the Cruz Roja clinic. They are also eliminating deaths from tuberculosis by a carefully monitored system of treatment. They continue to expand the clinic services, but need more space to do so. Our work involved hauling 6-7 tons of sand, 5 tons of rock, and 1.5 tons of concrete mix up 3 stories using ropes and plastic buckets. We made huge piles of concrete and mixed them with shovels. Then we hand-mixed them with buckets of water. We shoveled the concrete into wheelbarrows that were rolled out onto the roof and dumped, spread, and evened it out. We also bent rebar into squares, assembled columns to support the roof, and helped paint the walls of the clinic.
|
|
 |
|
|
Matt plays "duck, duck, goose" with fellow CGVs and kids in an indigenous village near Montero.
|
|
|
|
During the week, we each were given the unique opportunity to go along with the Vigilantes Communitarios or Community Vigilantes as they made home visits to families and adorable children. A home visit consisted of interviewing the mother and weighing and checking on the baby or child. Dr. Chavez, the director of the clinic also took us to visit an Guaraní Indian village to see how they used to live and how they do now, many of the efforts a result of cooperation between the CSRA and the local communities. They have just been switched over to electricity and they now have houses instead of grass huts, but still cook in outdoor mud ovens heated by open flame. We played basketball and soccer with the children and young people in the village and taught them the game of pato, pato, ganzo (otherwise known as duck, duck, goose). I think we had more fun than they did!
By the end of our 9 days in Montero, it was clear that we were the ones who had been given the greatest gifts. Understanding the level of poverty that these people live with is astounding, yet they are happy, generous, and giving people. They offered their hearts, their gifts, their hugs, and their smiles to us without hesitation. The Cruz Roja clinic and our generous hosts Dr. Chavez, Mirtha, Daniel, and Ana Maria showed us the positive effects of hard work, dedication to a cause, community cooperation, and compassionate medical care in making a difference in their community. Each of us was changed forever by this experience and left a part of our hearts in the village and with the people we met. We look forward to many more FUMCC youth mission trips to Bolivia to continue our work there. The lessons we learned have made us better people, better Christians, and better stewards of our resources. Our sincere gratitude goes out to all of our friends, family, and fellow church members who helped make this trip possible and who contributed so generously to provide supplies, clothing, and gifts for us to provide to the Cruz Roja clinic and to the girls at the Hogar de Ninas.
-- Matt Zimmerman and the FUMC-Cary Youth Mission Team
The FUMC-Cary team completes their church's
first international youth mission trip. Good job!
Would you like to share stories or photos from your Curamericas Global volunteer experience? We would love to hear from you! Please email andrew@curamericas.org or call 877-510-4787.
|
|
