Somos Voluntarios

“Lord, send me a family of friends

to go to Bolivia with.”

(Photo: Treson)

This time last year I started praying for the right people to come to Bolivia with. God answered that prayer above and beyond what I could have asked or imagined!

It wasn’t my original idea to introduce all of this year’s Familia Feliz SMs; that was Treson’s. But I’m going to copy him, format and all, so everyone can see just who God sent:

Treson Thompson

“Hmmmm”

So his name is actually Verle or something, but he is the “son-of-Trey.” If you don’t hear his quiet situational comments you will miss out on peak humor. Always finding a way to explain away a confusing situation, he’ll search for “what they may have meant.” His observations of the environment and kids here are also full of insight, which tracks with him having graduated with a degree in bio-research. And his eye for photography and editing is unsurpassed.

Treson works with the older boys in Los Guerreros on Sundays and teaches the high school students in La Casa de Harding during the school week. He took initiative to begin teaching much-needed science classes there and can also be spotted expertly hanging screens on windows around campus or working on revamping/maintaining the Familia Feliz website and YouTube. “PeRo,” it is important to note that he only gets showers, never takes them. Our tallest SM is also well-grounded with his copper-soled sandals.

Emilianne Cross

*giggles after speaking*

Emilianne is best described as bubbly. A five-star chef, master of craft supplies, and expert entertainer, she also has a great command of Spanish already! With boundless energy and a stream of laughter, our granola girl is always down for an outdoor adventure, including being the first to fearlessly hop in the scarily muddy river with the kids! For someone who knows just what to do in tough situations, we do hear a lot of reactionary, “I don’t know man!”

Emilianne spends her mornings teaching English to third and fourth graders and assisting other subjects (however, she often flies solo, as the other teacher doesn’t spend much time in the classroom). Her afternoons and Sundays are passed in Las Lilas with me as the house assistant, and these girls adore her! Emilianne also manages and writes descriptions for the fundraising portion of the Familia Feliz website from her godly, genuine perspective. She self-diagnosed her dislike of not having something to do, so one can only imagine the asset she is everywhere!

Maddy Ro

“Oh honey!”

Sweet as honey herself, Maddy has a burning desire to eat every baby’s cheeks. She is the source of the best chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies and has won over everyone’s hearts and stomachs. Maddy has one more year at Southern as a bio pre-med major, is currently balancing her med school application process, and has wisdom which extends far beyond the pages of a science book! Her impressive Chaco tan is evidence of her countless hours in the sun, her bug bites aren’t quite “jump scare” level, and her empathy and patience for dirty diapers and tears are unsurpassed on this campus.

Maddy is the assistant teacher in Kindergarten and also assists in La Casa de Los Leones, the house with enough little boy energy to match her love for them! Maddy is an excellent writer and co-authors the monthly Familia Feliz newsletters with me after personally interviewing Melissa about the featured kids’ life story. Maddy can also often be found carrying a baby from La Casa de Harding, as she also assists there. Every kiddo on campus has the word “honey” in their English vocabulary thanks to Maddy’s favorite pet name!

Elizabeth Cannon

“Not the (insert mimicked word here)!”

Our resident photoshopper and cat-lover is hilarious as well as brutally honest. This bio pre-med grad is the quickest to contagiously laugh at any and every situation and serves as our reservoirs of ideas for group games. While she may be the only only-child among us, she is treated like a sibling by all the kiddos who make fun of her adorable, iconically curly hair (making her look “like a doll” apparently). With her fear of lice long gone, Elizabeth will throw herself headlong into any activity with great gusto!

Elizabeth helps to teach high school math and English in La Casa de Harding, which aligns perfectly with her slight dislike of babies. She has become fast friends with the English-speaking kids, which Melissa says they value more than friendships with their peers! Thursday afternoons keep her busy distributing food and supplies to each of the houses on campus, and she also manages the Familia Feliz Facebook page on top of completing personal paperwork for med school! She is the only person I know who pulls off wearing orange clothes like a boss, and no one can beat her Birke tan!

Carlo Leonor

“Ayooo bro!”

Carlo wins the award for being the best jungle gym. It’s likely that he’ll convince the kids to dogpile a bystanding SM, but he is also on the receiving end of said tackles with more tolerance and enthusiasm than anyone. While he may not love heights, Carlo stands on a tall pedestal in these little boys’ minds! He has also made friends with the local barber, even braving a ride on his motorcycle. Our music-lover and gospel choral singer is the most energetic, intentional person we are privileged to work with.

Being the English and PE teacher in third and fourth grade is a valuable impact Carlo makes. He also is a house assistant in Los Leones, and he works to distribute food and supplies around campus on Thursdays. While Carlo doesn’t have much personal social media, he manages the new Twitter account for Familia Feliz, which will give him more time in the media spotlight than all of us combined. One may also spot him with his Bolivian “sports bottle” going for a run in the heat of the day, taking off the pants he’s wearing over a pair of shorts, doing manual labor around campus (pro ditch-digger for Las Lilas), or Bachata dancing like the hype “bruv” that he is.

Zoro Baez

“That just doesn’t make any sense!”

“Father Zoro” earned that name by loving on every baby here and taking a Sabbath nap while still in his suit. Our primary source of country music and a southern accent, he is also one of two completely fluent Spanish-speakers among us! Any “lady in need” can be certain that Zoro will have their back before they ask. He possesses an incredible strength of willpower and character, and he has never lost patience with those of us who are in need of his translating.

This history/religion grad can tell you the date for any event you mention, which comes in handy when his class asks to study prophecy! Zoro is the religion teacher to seventh and eighth grade and assistant in that classroom. On Sundays and afternoons, he works as a beloved house assistant in Los Guerreros, where he demonstrates great skill in the kitchen. Zoro also will be planning fundraising projects for the kids to do on-site, which utilizes his creativity as well as his unique ability to connect and converse. All the while, his cowboy boots aren’t too far away!

Sierra Anderson

“I love record-keeping!”

Taking initiative is something Sierra is amazing at. The “mom” of our group is resourceful, dependable, organized, and has brought everything with her, from fake flowers to a soy milk maker to IV needles! No idea is out of reach with her determination, be it baking gourmet pumpkin pecan dishes, making curtains for Los Flores, or giving haircuts, and her outfits are as well put-together as her life. She also is our rabies survivor after getting bit by a bat one week in!

Nurse Sierra is equated to a doctor in the minds of these kids, and they seek her cool-headed attention on the daily. She’s bandaged, diagnosed, comforted, medicated, and stitched up many a student already in the new clinic she has set up! On top of all of this, she is the “madam delegator” for fundraising and networking, keeping the big picture and main goal in mind. One may just see her at any hour of the night as she makes her rounds with a smile, flashlight, and iconic linen pant pockets full of bottles.

Lisiane Umuhire

“Ok sis!”

Our number-one hype-woman, Lisiane is energetic and fun-loving “25/8”! Her dimples, love for Bachata music, unashamed laughter, energetic banter, and genuine interest in how we are doing has endeared this girl to each of us. Lisi beat us to Bolivia by three weeks and is also fluent in Spanish, making her an invaluable resource as well as friend! And her love of the humid heat never ceases to amaze us all.

Lisi is the Kindergarten teacher who hails as a psychology/Spanish grad from Andrews University. While she was first living as a parent in Los Leones, she now assists there on Sundays and can be found using her language skills to connect with all kids across campus. This beloved volunteer is also in charge of the Familia Feliz Instagram page, promoting a life-changing experience to future SMs, as well as having vision to expand our media presence. Lisi has proved her efficacy in fundraising by her success in the first of many projects, thanks to her incredible faith and pervasive enthusiasm!

En Todo

As a whole, this group is a beautiful mix of backgrounds, perspectives, and strengths, as evidenced in our collaborative Spotify playlist. The intense love that wells up in my heart whenever I see one of the others walk by Las Lilas blows my mind! The godly discussions we have together leave me smiling and so grateful. We have a great talent for cramming into trufis and toritos much too small for our number. The nine of us are also collectively indecisive when it comes to using any free time and take forever to get started with any semblance of game or movie night. Every one of us is always down for an adventure, and we have big travel plans in the works for our Christmas break together! This year there will never be a shortage of laughter coming from us volunteers, either. And when we look at the magnitude of what our time ahead requires, there is always at least one person ready to remind us how God brought us each here for a specific reason.

Strangers

Most of the nine of us were strangers a month ago. We skipped the “what’s your favorite color” getting-to-know-you phase of friendship and jumped right into the “hold my passport,” “cut my hair,” and “love you guys” because-I-know-your-character-and-personality-under-stress-and-discomfort part. And I love us.

“Strangers” is a song that sums up the rapidly-formed friendships here:

“How were we ever strangers?

Seems crazy to me now!
Haven't I known you forever?
'Cause the thought of the days without
You and all your love
Have all but disappeared;
I'll never be convinced that

you weren't always here!

How were we ever strangers?”

Love from us volunteers,

Katie-Jane

🤍