Hello again! I hope this finds you well. It's been a week since we've returned from the campamento with the Ayoré girls, and I wanted to make sure I blogged about it before leaving Bolivia. (I can't believe this trip is almost over!)
Last Sunday, the start of the camp, I wasn't able to go out with the other girls on our team because I came down with a fever and nausea. So myself and my teammate Katie stayed back because we were both sick, and went out the following day instead. Feeling sick is never fun, but I felt especially useless since I'm on a missions trip.
The week at the camp was full of ups and downs, trials and fun adventures. It was definitely one of the most challenging experiences of my entire life. I took turns teaching Bible stories in Spanish to my small group, which happened to be all of the new girls to the camp. I struggled to lead with my limited Spanish skills, and relied heavily on my coleader Tamara, one of my new Bolivian friends. She was an incredible blessing throughout the entire week. It was awesome to see the change in the girls as the week progressed. A few times during the small group sessions there were some girls who didn't seem to be paying attention at all. But then they'd surprise me by answering the questions at the end of the story.
My team also got to lead worship multiple times throughout the week, and though they were the same songs over and over, I absolutely loved worshiping in multiple languages with these girls. And seeing the girls get excited about the songs was really encouraging.
The week was filled with morning devotions, meal times, cleaning, playing on the playground and playing soccer and volleyball, crafts, Bible stories, worship, nightly reenactments of the Bible stories they were learning, and so much more. I was able to see firsthand why it can be difficult to work with the Ayoré, but I was also able to see how learning about God and His love was putting hope into their eyes. The theme for the camp was "Living a Life in Victory with God." And for this people group, who are considered the lowest of the low in Bolivia, and for these girls who are basically told that they're not worth anything, this theme spoke volumes. These girls are surrounded by pressure to become involved in prostitution and drugs, but we were able to share with them God's love and how He created them and they are valuable and precious to Him.
The last night, we had a dinner for the girls where instead of lining up to get food, we served them while they were seated. That morning Sandra, a doctor who has invested an incredible amount into the Ayoré girls, told the girls that they were daughters of the King, which made them princesses. So she told them to put on their nicest clothes they had brought and to come prepared to be served. And it was amazing to see the difference in the way the girls carried themselves at dinner. They took great care in properly using their forks and knives. They served each other soda. They had such a bright light in their eyes, it brought me to tears. For some of these girls, it was the first time they had been told and shown that they were valuable, beautiful, and loved. I also got to take part in a drama where a girl gets her heart broken by a series of guys (it gets torn into a bunch of pieces by the last guy), but at the end finds that Jesus loved her so much that He died for her, and He gives her a new heart. I hope it had a positive impact on the girls! That night, one of the young girls also accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior after an encounter with an evil spirit. I wish I could think of a better way to explain what happened, but the best I can do is to say that spirits are very real to the Ayoré. And after this girl experienced what she did, the leaders of the camp sat down with her, explained to her the plan of salvation, and she accepted Jesus. It's an awesome story, so if you'd like to hear it, please ask me about it when I return!
It was hard to say goodbye. As challenging as the week was, it was so fun being surrounded by the girls, loving on them and teaching them about Jesus. It was an incredibly humbling week. Many times, I felt completely useless with my broken Spanish. Spanish isn't the girls' first language either, so communicating was difficult for me sometimes. And other times I wondered if the little bit I was doing really made much of a difference. But looking back on the week, and from encouragement from others on the team who have been here before, what we did was significant, whether I thought so at the time or not. The fact that we came and spent a week with the girls, playing games, singing songs, and teaching Bible stories, shows the girls that they are special, that they are important enough for a team of Americans to come and invest time and money into. Thank you so much to everyone who made this trip possible, through all of your prayer and financial support. By extension, you're extending your love towards these girls too!
We went out and visited another community yesterday, and it was hard to witness their living conditions once again. Close quarters, trash littered all over the ground, stagnant water. And afterwards we saw two girls on the corner who were prostituting themselves, one of them sniffing glue to get high. Absolutely heartbreaking. I found myself asking, why was I born into privilege, and these girls born into this? Our situations in life could have been so easily reversed. Still trying to make sense of it all, and I don't know that I ever will. But I do know that I have a responsibility to the Ayoré now. To pray for them, to tell their story, and hopefully return to work with them again.
I'm so thankful for the opportunity that I had to come to Bolivia. I've fallen in love with this country, with the people here, and the work that God is doing. I am blessed beyond belief. I'm sad that the trip is coming to an end, but I know this isn't the end. It's the beginning of another adventure, for the chance to use what I've learned so far, and to continue to grow in my faith as I encourage others to do the same. Though the direct impact I may have had in Bolivia during my three weeks here may have been small, the impact it had on me is huge. When I get home and am able to process about my experience in Bolivia, I'll be sure to keep you informed with another update. Until then, Dios te bendiga! Ciao!
