FBC Missions

Hey everyone, just letting anyone who has kept up with this blog know that we have all finally made it home. We started out super early Thursday morning (at the airport at 5am) for our 7:00 flight. Around 8 or 9 we learned that the plane had encountered some ice in the air or something random and had by-passed La Paz (where we were) and instead gone directly to Santa Cruz; which had been our problem on Monday. At this point we were wondering if we were ever going to return home but we have, our plane eventually showed up around 2:00pm and we took off at 3:00; I can’t even explain how happy we were to leave the airport. Unfortunately the plane had to return to Santa Cruz to re-fuel and they then performed a security check while we were on the plane…an interesting experience to say the least. We missed all our connecting flights but American Airlines put us up in a hotel and provided us with food coupons though we only were able to sleep for about 2 hours before heading back to the airport. Our group was split into three different groups, one went through Chicago, one through Dallas, and another through Seattle. As one who headed off to Seattle we were unfortunately put into the SLOWEST moving line through security, every single one of us had to be checked and even were put into a tall glass box-like-thing as they separated us from the other individuals. Of course this is all happening as our plane is already boarding. At one point Kyle, Genna, Winston, and I (Bri) were all in this random glass box and Win started knocking on the glass and waving at the security guards who walked by, wondering if they had forgotten us. As we were taken out separately so our carry-on luggage could be checked Winston took off running for our gate, later to be followed by a sprinting Genna and Kyle who called to me, “We won’t let them leave without you!” Man, I should hope not! Well, I wasn’t far behind them as I struggled to not trip in my shoes that weren’t quite on and my bag bumbled around with all my loose money and change jingled in it. Arriving at gate C10 our plane was definitely not there but someone called that instead it was at C14 so we booked it there and thankfully made the flight. Once in Seattle we quickly got to our next gate and were able to grab a few things to eat/snack on before we boarded our 45 min flight to Portland.

Everyone from the team eventually made it, a few earlier than we had thought which was awesome and then we split up, 5 team members staying in Portland while the other five of us left Portland and though traffic made our trip much longer than otherwise it would have been, we are all here now. All of our luggage made it, we are all home and are not only excited to take long warm showers, but to also drink water out of the tap, eat lettuce, and sleep in our own beds. It has been a very long week but God provided through it all. Having a weekend to recoup is going to be awesome! Thanks everyone who prayed for us while we were gone, especially as the trip turned from 2 weeks into almost 3. So that’s it, we are finally back in the states and are all very excited to tell people about our experiences in Chile.

Chao!

Bri

Tony Martinez:  July 10, 2007. 

Today was supposed to be the first day back for all of us.  We were suppose to awake on US soil, have familiar and missed cuisine, and relax knowing the trip was behind us, and the summer before us.  Well…that isn’t what the Lord had for us. 

Today, instead we woke up once again in our La Paz hotel.  Everyone is far more rested today then they have been the entire trip, and all of the sickies are looking much better.  I never claim to understand the Lord´s plan or purpose, but here we are, trying to figure it out. 

The trip in total had its highs and lows for sure.  This whole adventure started off like an exotic vacation.  We found ourselves in an interesting city, with amazing people all around us making everything incredibly comfortable.  The food was delicious, the tasks rewarding, and the environment surprisingly comfortable. 

The last few days in La Paz (which were supposed to be our relaxing debrief time) have been the most difficult for sure.  It is strange how the Lord works, or where we find our trials…but this trip has certainly flipped my understanding.  Every day here in La Paz has brought a new challenge, some being significant disappointments.  I am encouraged, however, to see how well the team has been taking the punches.  The Lord has certainly taught us all a great deal about flexibility which we are now practicing. 

Please pray for us.  Thursday morning will be a new test.  Our hopes are high, and home once again seems to be on the horizon.  But the Lord´s will may once again change our path.  May we be willing.

This is actually Sam writing this post.

What does one really say when the largest snow storm in 10 years falls right on the Monday we were planning to leave? Is it a sort of divine intervention? Maybe. Should one say, “consider it pure joy my brothers when you face trial of many kinds?” Considering that we have been studying James as a group, this verse in Chapter 1 certainly comes to mind for many team members. I have no answers a this time, Only questions.

To put things a little more simply, We are stuck in Bolivia for another few days. A blizzard hit the city El Alto this morning. In case you need a little geography lesson, El Alto is a city that rests on a high plateau almost 2000 ft above La Paz, the Capital of Bolivia. It is the location of the airport for La Paz, an airport that is now completly snowed in.

This was difficult for many members of our team. Many of them are feeling ill. Some of them have jobs that should start on Wednesday. I think many people feel ready to go home.

We put our clever little American minds together and tried to come up with different solution. One thought involved taking a 15 hour bus ride to Lima, Peru and catching a 6 AM on Tuesday morning. But it wasn´t meant to be. The Police have put up blockades on all the roads because of the weather. Bolivia knows blockades the way America knows football (not soccer, the kind with tackling.) Dan says that it is normal to expect one or two major blockades per month.

The plan for now is to wait in La Paz until our Thursday morning flight. It is not snowing here in La Paz, just a little rainy. We checked back into our hotel and are ready to wait out the storm and the flood of other travelers that have had their plans screwed up.

I am confident that this will make sense someday. You just need a kingdom perspective. God is keeping us in Bolivia for a reason. We have something left to learn, something we still need to experience. We can only wait.

It is not entirely frustrating. While waiting at the airport, Paul and I (Sam) went outside and constructed a snow llama. We attracted the attention of many people who were amused by the two crazy Gringos embracing their child-like creativity. One of the people was a newspaper photographer who snaped our picture. We’ll check the newstands tomorrow. The creative release helped me vent some deep-seated frustration. It also cheered up a few people frustrated travellers and airline employees.

Pray for us in the next few days. Pray for our colds, sinus infections, and stomach problems. Pray that Winston does not develope a strange tropical monkey disease. Pray that our team can avoid getting frustated with each other and avoid getting too restless. Pray that we can find the Peace of God here in La Paz.

People can make all sorts of plans. But thing will certainly change. Flexibility has a completly different meaning here. Dan said that every time he asks a question involving “why,” his wife will always give this same 5-word answer.

“Because we live in Bolivia.” 

Winston Arblaster: July 4, 2007

Today was our day off. In light of our American holiday, Dan and Daryl decided that the 4th would be a good day to spend just on ourselves. After breakfast we were scheduled to visit La Cancha, our main activity for the day, to do some personal shopping. La Cancha is South America´s largest open-air market, spanning nearly 100 city blocks. It is made up of a seemingly innumerable amount of private vendors, each having a small stall with which to sell their product. The market sells almost anything you could think of from clothes, furniture, bicycles, electronics, food, or even live animals. Dan and Daryl arrived with three other English-speaking friends to act as guides for the team. We all split into groups of two, each with a guide. Tony and I were paired with Dan, who being very familiar with the market informed us of the dangers that awaited us there. La Cancha, being highly populated, is notorious for pick-pockets and some zones of the market are more dangerous than others. Dan, in about 2 hours, only showed us a small fraction of the whole, but in that time we saw artisan shops displaying musical instruments, taylors of suits, a meat market, an aisle dedicated to witchcraft (or natural medicine), and all the other ammenities described above. When Dan showed us the section with the live animals, I saw chickens, guinea pigs, ducks, parrots, and rabbits. Dan said that sometimes they sell monkeys even though they are technically illegal to sell. I convinced myself that I would buy a monkey if they had one, but there were no monkeys to be found. Tony and I purchased a few seuvenirs for ourselves walked back to the Batist Union.

A few hours later, some other team members informed me that they saw some monkeys. Soon after, Tony, Ty, and I caught a bus back to La Cancha and found the monkeys which we had missed the first time through. Tied up and sitting on a cage, was a tiny little monkey. I asked the vendor how much he was selling the monkey for and he said that it cost 180 Bolivianos (roughly $25). I bought the monkey. The little guy is about the size of a squirrel and only a month old. I picked him up and he immediately grabbed onto my shirt with his little hands and buried his face into my chest. He sat on my shoulder until we found a cage for him and then we walked home with him. I named him El Mono (Spanish for, ¨The Monkey¨) I did some research tonight and found out that he is a Black-capped squirrel monkey native to Bolivia. Squirrel monkeys live in trees and are usually part of large monkey families. These means that El Mono was very lonely. I realize that purchasing a monkey in a third world country was not a good idea (who knows what kind of diseases El Mono has), but I couldn´t resist. Tomorrow we have some free time and I would like to take El Mono to a vet to get him checked out. If he sick, I want to make him well again. After only having him for six hours I am very attached to the little monkey and am very sad that I can´t take him home with me. The CDC has very strict policies on importing primates. Johnny has said that he would like to take El Mono when we leave. Johnny is a very nice guy and will give him a home far nicer than the one he had at La Cancha.

In the evening the team had an American dinner on American flag plates back at Dan and Daryl´s. We had foot-long hot dogs, hamburgers, and baked beans. After the delicious meal Ty led us in worship and Dan led us in a powerful service focusing on the Eucharist. We broke the bread before the meal and after the service we drank and reflected on the meaning of Jesus sacrifice and resurrection. The whole evening became one unifying Eucharistic meal. Afterwards, we celebrated the day with some fireworks which frightened both Heather and El Mono, but amazed Benji (Dan and Daryl´s son) who saw some of the biggest fireworks of his life. Altogether, shopping, eating, fireworks, communion, and a baby monkey made for a pretty spectacular 4th of July.

Please pray for the health El Mono and myself that I don´t contract AIDS or any other dangerous disease in the next few days.

-Winston

UPDATE ON EL MONO:

Heather, Cara, and I scoured the city looking for a vet who would look at El Mono, but because of strict laws against the treatment of primates, no vets were will wanting to look at him or even give us advice.  We walked around the city with El Mono for what seemed like hours going from vet to vet.  After receiving a tip from the third vet, we took a taxi over to the other side of the city to our fourth vet who said he would look at him.
For negligible sum, I was able to pay for El Mono to get some medicine.  With Cara translating, the vet informed me that the monkey was sick and had been malnourished and mistreated.  He was 6-7 months old and remarkably underweight.  We got the monkey the shots and medicine he needed and took the taxi home.
Later, Cara and I were able to get in contact with an Bolivian animal rescue organization who were willing nurse the monkey back to health before releasing him back into the jungle in a wildlife park.  A few hours later, a representative from the organization came by to pick El Mono.  It was a sad parting, but I felt really good that El Mono was going to be taken care of and eventually taken back to his home in the jungle.  Thus happily ends a saga of a neglected disenfranchised monkey.

HOLA!!  This is Heather from Cochabamba, Bolivia!  July 3 was a great day full of wonderful suprises and team bonding. 

The team started off the day at the Church were we have been working on constructing the two playgrounds for the past week.  We were able to finish the one that is for the church and also spent the morning touching up on paint and taking apart the second play structure so it could be delivered to the orphanage.  We did not know what to expect at the orphanage but we loaded the VW van-truck and Johnny´s trailer with all of the parts of the big toy and headed off to the other side of the city.  We were energetically welcomed by over 15 beautiful girls who were very excited about their vistors for the day who were bringing a ¨big¨ gift! 

Our team fell in love with the girls instantly and played with, tickled, held, and loved on the girls for the rest of the afternoon, while re-constructing the play structure.  We are planning on going back the orphanage on thursday to visit the girls again.  The orphanage is incredibly ¨luxurious¨ with three floors and plenty of room for each girl.  They blessed us with an amazing lunch of ¨pollo y arroz y papas¨ and none of us on the team could finish our plate (but most of the girls had seconds)!  When the evening came, the ten of us were totally exhausted and we piled in our two jeeps and loaded up all of our extra supplies (including 3 full paint cans).

I was in the back of Johnny´s jeep and we were probably half way back to the mission when I saw a splat on one of the side windows.  At first I thought it was bird poop, but the size of the splat grew exponentially in a matter of moments.  I couldn´t get the words out fast enough but I realized that it was yellow paint that had been put on the top of the jeep.  By the time we stopped on the corner, the whole (full) can of paint had emptied out over 1/4 of the red jeep.  Now I must make this clear that this is oil based paint that we have had on our skin for the last week because it WILL NOT come off our skin for anything!  We didn´t know what we could do so we just took down the paint and drove back to our mission, leaving a trail of yellow paint behind us.

We drove up and the other half of our team could not believe what they saw…later we found out that the jeep had just got a new paint job last week!  It was clear that water would not get the paint off and paint thinner would destroy the paint job…so we decided to use gasoline.  Dan turned on his car and faced his lights towards the car (it was long past dark by this time).  Ironically the song playing from his car was ¨Yellow¨ by Coldplay.  With three headlamps, Winston on the roof of the car, Kyle with a toothbrush and the rest of us with gas soked rags, we mananged to get the majority of the yellow paint off within the next two hours.  The whole time we were joking about how flammable we were, but it was Johnny´s car and we did what he asked Later that night Dan went back to his house and his dad told him that one little spark from friction could have lit us all on fire…God was definately with us!  This has been one of my most random, unpredictable, and joyful moments on the trip.  It was a great time of laughter and team bonding.  I would definately do it again!

Thanks for all the prayers…hope you enjoyed this story!

Love in Him, Heather