I love Sundays! Getting to watch those 8 little boys of the Liones’ house for the day is so much fun. Last week they were a handful! Their permanent house parents have been on vacation for a few weeks and got back last Sunday evening, September 4. The boys were so excited to see them. Carlo and I will still be keeping the kids every Sunday, but Hermano Juan and Hermana Emi keep them the rest of the week.
Hermano Juan and Hermana Emi have fed me many meals since they arrived here! I love getting to be a part of their little family. They have taken me in, language barrier and all, and let me be a part of their family worships and adventures.
Monday, September 5, dawned bright and sunny as Zoro (another student missionary who speaks Spanish) and I went on another trip into San Buenaventura for my rabies shot. We got to bring the Jose, the baby that I talked about last week, with us for a checkup. The checkup took hours and while Melissa waited with the baby, we had quite the adventure driving the van around town trying to find the little house where Familia Feliz gets their vegetables. When we finally found the place, a tiny little elderly lady name Doña Prima answered the door. She was so kind and welcoming! In my very broken Spanish, we had a conversation while Zoro loaded the veggies. She made us promise to come back and visit her, which I hope we can do soon!
I finished my daily rabies shots on that Wednesday, which was a huge blessing! While the shots themselves have been far from fun, it has been a cool experience to explore the town so much.
Whenever we go to the hospital, there are usually many errands that the driver must run so we always ended up grocery shopping, exploring, or looking for supplies. Zoro and I have walked the whole town of Rurrenabaque and most of San Buenaventura several times over now!
We also haven’t had as many issues with bats in our house, which has been nice! Treson, another student missionary, spent hours last week putting new screens on our windows to keep critters away. It has made a world of difference.
The days have started falling into a rhythm, starting with me and the other girls making breakfast and eating with all the student missionaries. Then I clean the boy’s kitchen and dining room (where we cook and eat) while they head to school. My morning is filled with paperwork, followed by an afternoon of seeing various patients and conducting checkups. Evenings are a variety of injured kids, childcare, cleaning, and cooking. Emilianne, Katie-Jane, Maddy, and I picked a ton of lemons for lemon baked oatmeal one evening, which was so much fun! The oatmeal was delicious too.
My job has been mostly focused on starting a medical clinic, making organized medical records for all 45-ish kids, and coordinating the finances, buying, and distribution of food to all the houses.
Last week was chaos as we set up the clinic in the house in which all the female student missionaries are living. We barely had it finished by Thursday, when a couple nurses from the hospital brought MMR vaccinations for all the kids. After they finished, I left for town with Emilianne, Zoro, and Treson for our day off.
It was so nice to get groceries and rest for a while. We found a hotel that let us use their Wi-Fi and hammocks and rested for much of the day. We also found a restaurant with delicious food! We ate there for lunch and supper. We may not be very creative with finding a variety of food, but it was sure good both times!
The weekend went by peacefully. I spent Friday evening with my house of little boys along with Hermano Juan and Hermana Emi. Sabbath was sad, as the director, Melissa, found out that her mom didn’t have much longer to live. The other student missionaries and I spent several hours singing songs that Melissa had loved to sing with her family together as she played the piano.
On Sunday, Carlo and I were back at the Liones taking care of our boys. We’re getting into a smoother routine, and we had fun taking them on a walk to a tangerine tree and a climbing tree in the jungle.
Several of the boys get quite violent when they are upset. I’ve spent several hours rocking and singing as a boy has gone from trying to punch me to calm. It’s so sad; they are healing from so much emotional trauma. This last Sunday, I was holding one little boy as he sobbed and sobbed when I realized that there was a little tiny mirror about 15 feet in front of us. I looked at our reflections staring back at us, his little four-year-old fists clenched tightly, his face crinkled up and overflowing with tears and beads of perspiration alongside my face which had tears flowing down it too. It is heart-breaking, but it’s also a blessing to be able to help with a small part of their healing process.
The rest of this week has been a blur of busyness for me. I’ve taken kids to the hospital, helped hold a dental clinic, learned a whole lot about tropical illnesses, specifically dengue and salmonella, treated many kids in their houses and at the clinic, and done many more hours of paperwork. Taking over the groceries has also been a steep learning curve, but I think I’m getting the hang of it!
After the adventures of my previous blog, I have been so grateful for my health this last week. I am finally able to drink the water and eat the food without feeling sick and I’m nearly done with my rabies shots (I have a few more 10-day ones). It’s funny how humans forget to be thankful for things until they are taken away. Each morning since my last blog I have woken up so happy to be feeling better! It’s been a good lesson for me.
I’m so grateful for the other student missionaries that I get to experience this life with. It’s not usually easy to share a tiny bedroom with four girls, but they have made it not only bearable but fun. The boys have graciously let us use their kitchen and dining room (we don’t have a stove or a table in our house) and have put hours into fixing up our house for us. The selflessness and positivity of each of the sm’s makes the ups and downs of missionary life so fun. I’m looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us next!
It sounds like it felt really good to start getting into a routine - and to be able to handle the food and water without getting sick! You also got to enjoy quite a bit of variety in your days! Screens are good, and days off are wonderful! Nice you were able to provide emotional as well as physical comfort and healing.
What an amazing and blessed adventure for you! God is taking care of everything. Just continue to trust in Him and enjoy the journey. Marlene Mitchell
So proud of you!