Ingresamos: Last Straws & LifeStraws

There are very few times that you can pinpoint an exact moment that you know will change your life forever. Even fewer are the occasions when you pinpoint that moment as it’s happening. Landing in Santa Cruz was one of those rarest of rare times for me.

“I will never be the same,” I thought and grinned.

As I looked at the other seven SMs with me, I thought, “These are my new best friends!” And I couldn’t have asked for better!

Our first real bonding moment was the Bolivian security and customs, where the hilarity of the ridiculous requirements was superb. Wanting proof of hotel reservations — and not accepting the letter of invitation we had to stay at an SDA ministry in the city — the agents were just interested in checking all the legal boxes and obtaining visa money. Furthermore, when asking the date of our return flight ticket, they balked when they saw May 10. We SMs were cracking up at how uninformed we were about the whole entry process, and how the agents really only wanted to go home. After four hours of being the only people in the airport, we had our tourist visas and passports stamped (only to realize days later that they had the wrong date on the stamp, so our passport didn’t match our visa or plane ticket, sending us through additional red tape)!

Miraculously, my primary traveling angst was unrealized: the overweight supply luggage not only got checked all the way to Bolivia with no overweight fee, but it also all arrived perfectly in tact! Furthermore, not one of the medical supply suitcases was searched!

Santa Cruz
“Every situation is a faux pas,” Sierra nailed it. We arrived at RED ADvenir, an SDA TV station compound with a clinic and airstrip, and were warmly welcomed with a massive amount of food that we couldn’t possibly finish: offense number one. It was the “last straw” for the kitchen staff, who informed us that they have had a problem with food wasting for the past month. We then discovered they didn’t know we were staying for a whole week (granted, we didn’t either). Furthermore, a few of us wore shorts (however long) and sandals to dinner — neither allowed. The SDA culture here is much more conservative in mindset and practice, and we fear to think of how many “last straws” we’ll provide!

However, as the week progressed, we have made amends by playing soccer and volleyball with the volunteers, doing dishes, and attempting conversation with the workers here.

My biggest fear coming to Bolivia was throwing myself out there to speak Spanish, especially embarrassing myself in front of the other Americans who know more than me. But after day one, I knew this group was so encouraging I would never be judged. So I’m working on it!

The five of us girls are staying in a house that’s a ten minute walk into the depths of the compound. We’ve been living without all our luggage and traipsing back to the main building to hand carry what we need. But the walk, though freezing cold, is always gorgeous, especially at night where the stars are so vivid we can see the Milky Way!

Following the first of a year of cold showers, we made the mistake of leaving a window open at night. I was one of the few of us with bedding, but to put it in perspective, Elizabeth ended up sleeping in her laundry bag for warmth and Sierra wore most of the clothes she had with her! It is winter here, as well as being higher elevation, and thus colder than ever expected.

Friday was the day we got to begin to experience the process of acquiring resident visas! First was a stop at the hospital for a physical, bloodwork (with a straight needle that made me literally almost pass out), and a medical interview (Spanish practice 101!). Then on to an interview at the international police station to confirm our background check, followed by a visit to a notary. The long day of waiting in lines and laughing amongst ourselves continued, followed by a trip to the market.

When I called this blog “Sonrisas y Sol,” I knew there would be smiles from all the kids, but I never knew a group of us could smile and laugh this much! As Steven from the SM department said, “I worry about you guys…you’ll have too much fun!”

The eight of us had a vespers in the luggage room for hours and hours, singing, sharing spiritual thoughts, and getting to know each other’s love languages. The most powerful moment was kneeling in a circle, holding hands, and begging God to pour out a blessing on Familia Feliz and on us as we go for these nine months.

The thought that struck me was the idea from Isaiah 52:12 and Deuteronomy 31:8 — God will go before us to prepare the way, be with us as we go, and come behind us to clean up the messes we make (even “last straw” moments)!

Samaipata
While waiting for the visa paperwork to be processed, we decided to take up an offer to go to a sister project in the mountains four hours from here. After all, who could decline the invitation, “Want to take a wild ride?”

Thus, Sunday we piled in church members’ cars and headed to Samaipata, a mountain town known for Incan ruins. And what a ride! To say the dusty road was bumpy would be a severe understatement! And the reality of the fullness of the faith and end-times lifestyle of these missionaries here was a cultural experience in and of itself!

We arrived in the extremely secluded mountain hideaway in time to explore a waterfall and eat. That night after a 7:00 sunset, we piled on every coat we had, went outside, and laid on the ground to look at the stars. The sky was so clear and light pollution so absent that we could literally see the Milky Way in a way none of us have ever experienced! A breathtaking, beautiful, bonding hour of counting shooting stars made my week. I know I will be holding that image of my new family and my incredible God like a mind Polaroid for the days that are harder than just fighting a cold wind or deciding whether or not to use a LifeStraw.

Although we are all incredibly anxious to get to Familia Feliz (although less excited for the twenty hour bus ride), we have also agreed that this time has turned us into the dream team God had in mind!

Ice-cold showers, fútbol games, ants in my suitcase, avoided fresh salads, plans made and not followed, group worships, three hours late to events, broken Spanish, “otra vez, por favor,” wild parakeets, WhatsApp messages, residency visas denied and delayed, sandy shoes, passport copies, capybara footprints, long wait lines, no service, crazy driving, group photos, hand-washed laundry, whole wheat flour, bolivianos…

Love from this adventure,
Katie-Jane
🤍