Amurica.

Well, here I am! I've been back on American soil for about six weeks now, and I'm feeling more unpatriotic than ever. Don't get me wrong, I love my patria and especially Atlanta, but I'm longing for Bolivia! I miss the mountains, the hispano-hablantes, the terribly hilly city, the harsh weather, the indigenous cholitas with their bowler hats, the culture, the people, the church, and more than anything, the children. All the memories that God has blessed me with will stay with me forever. La Paz is cherished in my heart, the faces are imprinted in my mind, the experiences and interactions will replay in my head when I need them most. I'm so grateful for this past year!

Because the focus and purpose of this blog is my Paceño life, and due to the fact that I am no longer in La Paz, this post will be my last. As some of you lovely, faithful readers noticed, I took down this blog for a few months due to security purposes with pictures of the kids from FAI. But, I've taken many pictures down and the site has now been dubbed good to go. :)

So. With what words do I fill up this precious last post? Easy. Words of gratitude. I've been in complete awe thinking over what just happened... we actually did it. We literally got up, sold, gave or stored away everything we had, and moved to South America. To a country that the general first-world person knows nothing about. To a country that many friends thought was in Africa (just because of my family's affiliation with and passion for that awesome continent), or in Eastern Europe (you know, Bosnia, Latvia, Bolivia...) and, once they found out it's in South America, thought we'd be living under palm trees in some tropical latin countryside. Unfortunately, none of that is correct, but fortunately, Bolivia might be the coolest country I've ever been in, and moving there just might've been the greatest decision of my disciple life.

As my incredible mom always says, life is about relationships. What impacts you in your experiences is never where you go or what you do, rather who you're with. These words couldn't ring truer in regards to my Bolivian experience. I'm so grateful for the friendships I was able to build in Bolivia. Some with wonderful people I was already acquainted with, some with people I had never met, all with people who I will never forget, who have been engraved in my heart eternally.

I'm grateful for the lessons God so faithfully taught me throughout my year. He revealed my character through struggles, trials and even victories. He imprinted upon my mind and soul constantly, constantly, constantly His goodness and love. He taught me His passion for justice and righteousness, His heart for the poor and oppressed, His will for my life and my days on earth as His servant. I'm grateful that my Creator has made Himself known to me, and that I actually have the honor of making Him known to the world around me. I'm grateful to have shared God's love with the orphans, young mothers, and impoverished children I worked with all year. I've never invested my soul so intensely into people before this year; God allowed me to discover what it is to love.

I cannot thank all of you back in here in the States (and beyond!) who so faithfully pray for us, support us, and encourage us while we give our hearts in Bolivia. What can I say? I wouldn't have made it through the year without your skype calls, facebook messages, and even packages! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please never stop praying for the church in La Paz, the children in the Fundación, and the HOPEww Bolivia team.

Chulumani

Here's what my weekend was full of: Knocking ripe mangoes out of their trees with enormous sticks and then continuing to eat the deliciously juicy fruit until we couldn't even think about it. Struggling to milk a colossal cow while being laughed at by the 14-year-old boy who successfully does it twice every day. Blazing our own trails through thick jungle plants, climbing hills of mud and trees spiderman-style, searching high and low for a non-bug-infested flower to put in my hair, walking ankle-deep in a creek with shoes and socks on, and finally seeing from afar the path we should've been on after climbing up the wrong side of the ravine.

I got to go to Chulumani, Bolivia with a group of the FAI volunteers from Saturday to Monday. The group consisted of the natively English-speaking volunteers (three other Americans and three Scots) along with one recently-arrived German volunteer and Sebastian Eberhardt, the volunteer coordinator. It was a ridiculously fun time together; our 2.5 days consisted of relaxing, eating, talking, playing cards, going hiking, and getting bit by bugs. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with each volunteer and getting to know them more.

The stunningly beautiful hostel we stayed at was owned by an older yet actively hard-working couple, American wife and Bolivian husband. I was excited to befriend Mrs. Tildy, the Washington DC-ian wife, with whom I had some awesome conversations regarding our faith and God's creativity (which was gloriously screaming in our face all weekend). I also befriended their very fat pig, Florentino.

Chulumani is in the tropical department of Bolivia, so while the pueblito is still nestled among huge mountains like La Paz is, the surroundings of Chulumani are an intense and steady green, interrupted only by the occasional river or waterfall, and speckled with bright flowers and fruits. It is truly breathtaking, and I'd be eager to return at the next chance I get.

Well, that was my wonderful weekend about a month ago, and due to me being an unforgivably inconsistent blogger, you all haven't heard about it until now. Hopefully I can redeem myself with a more recent post.

Oops.

Here Matt and I sit on the couch, coughing, sneezing, snotting and weakly laughing about it all. Partially watching the Giants-Falcons game, partially miserably staring at the ceiling, whole-heartedly wondering when we'll be able to breathe through our noses again. Other than the recent (and typical) bout of sickness--which is quite expected about every other week now--life in La Paz has been good! Crazy of course, but good nonetheless.

...I wrote that introduction two weeks ago. I left it up there as a reminder to myself to be a better blogger, man up and write. So now, a little while later, I am sitting outside of the apartment building on this beautiful Bolivian summer morning, barefoot in the grass like any good Hobbit, and praising God that I am not sick. I just recovered from the flu, which I must say has been my least favorite illness so far, but no matter; I'm still convinced I'm gonna have the immune system of Chuck Norris by the time all this is through.

So let's see, what adventures has La Paz held for us since my last blog? Always the loaded question. In my typical lazy fashion, here's a list, in no particular order:

-As a heartbreaking example of all good things coming to an end, my sister and the Walkers are all back in America. It was total poo, to put it classily, to say goodbye to one of my best friends and my sweet big sister, but it was a necessary evil that we've put behind us. The Broyles are all so grateful for the time we got to spend with our missing and sorely missed family member, and I especially am thankful for the extraordinary time I got to spend with Renee and Luke.

-To be honest with all you lovely readers, I definitely had an emotional breakdown once my sister left, and not a short one, at that. When Jordyn left many weeks ago I was sad, naturally, but the reality of her absence didn't hit me until all visitors had gone. Not only did I miss my best friend in general, but I was scared to walk through life in Bolivia without a constant companion. An outrageous loneliness took over me (a concept clearly planted by Satan), and I went into a pathetic little state of self-pity and self-absorption. It's funny, once you take your eyes off God's character and goodness, you get simply miserable! I knew that before, but I'm constantly being reminded. Once I woke up from my horrible week of self-hibernation, I got really re-excited about all the Bolivian blessings God has placed in my new life: the incredible sisters from church, our tight-knit HOPE family, the smiles on the daycare kids' faces, my relationships with the older girls in the projects, the ridiculous beauty of the city, and so much more. So, after God shook me out of my brief lapse in sanity, I am more excited and grateful than ever to be here in La Paz.

The jet-lagged Basilios and part of
the airport welcome group!

-And on a nicer note! God, in His perfect and encouraging timing, gives and take away, not a moment too soon or too late. Within the hour of the Walkers' arrival at the airport, in the terminal next-door, the Basilios dragged themselves in terminal, greeted by a loud, cheerful group of Latino disciples and excited Americans. No words to describe how thrilled I was to hug my three favorite snuggle buddies! Since their arrival, the Basilio family has had quite the adjustment with broken refrigerators, broken bunk bed ladders, migraines, four-year-old barfing all night, surprises in the school enrollment process, and those are just a few. But John and Migdalia are holding firm to their purpose here as servants in Bolivia, without complaints and with only positive perspectives! It's not only a delight and automatic soul-uplifter to have our dear friends finally here with us, but their arrival signifies that, after many struggles and battles, the official HOPE team is united at last! (Forgive me if it sounds like I'm talking about the formation of the Fellowship of the Ring, I just read "The Hobbit" and watched "The Two Towers" last week.)

The official HOPE Bolivia team!

-Throughout all the excitement and sickness, I also got to start up the first Bible talk at Casa de Refugio (home for young mothers) which was, inevitably, wonderful. It was short and to the point, since only my mom was watching the girls' kids downstairs, and as we all know, babies cannot naturally sit for twenty minutes without their momma. Thus being the situation, I did a quick but encouraging devotional about God's love and perfect plan. We'll have another next week, and hopefully every week after that! Please pray for these teenage mothers who have been through more life than many adults already, and are eager to learn and know God on an intimate level.

Well, I think that about wraps it up! (That's my way of saying there's a whole lot else to say but I'm going to end the blog post now.) As always, please keep Bolivia in your prayers. Thank you!

My dad and I went on a prayer walk/accidental (barefoot) hike, and this was part of the incredible
view we encountered on top of a mountain right down the street from our house!
P.S. Behind me is merely a part of Zona Sur, the city of La Paz is HUGE!!

Above: Nicole. Absolutely beautiful.
Below: This is Alexander. I thought I'd end the post on an extra happy note.

'Tis the season to be in Bolivia

It's been quite a while and there's a quite a good amount of things to catch up on. I'm gonna pull a "lazy Brianne" and make a list instead of being the professional little blogger I should be (although professionals never post about their diarrhea, I'm sure).

 

Me, super excited even though my sister fell asleep
on my lap while I was talking to her...



-First things first, my sister arrived! At an ungodly hour in the morning of December 10th, we met a groggy-eyed Candice coming out of Customs, extra suitcases and a sleepless brain in tow. The reunion was a tearful, exhausted one, and although us excited united family members talked excitedly the whole taxi ride home, all eyes shut the minute we sat down in the apartment. My whole family has been visibly happier with my sister in town, especially since all you can normally manage to do around her is laugh. Since her arrival Candice has gotten her fill of parties at the orphanage, salteñas, stomachaches, realizing the relationship between salteñas and stomachaches, rainy Lord of the Rings-on-the-couch days, preaching with her boyfriend at church, understanding the impossibility of wearing heels in La Paz, coffee at Vainilla's, coffee at Alexander's, coffee at Blueberrie's, walking through Montenegro, walking through El Prado, walking through San Miguel, walking through Ballivian... coffee and walking at all times, basically. She's also got to experience Copacabana with us, which brings me to my next point!

-This past weekend the Beatys (with their newly arrived Morgan) and the Broyles took the breathtaking three-hour bus ride to Copacabana, a beautiful and popular little town on the shore of Lake Titikaka. This lake is the world's highest navigateable lake, and it happened to be ridiculously huge (you'd think it was an ocean if you didn't know any better). We stayed in a cozy hotel in Copacabana with an incredible view of the lake. On Friday, we took a two-hour boat ride to Isla del Sol, a small island in the middle of the lake that was sacred to the Incas. While the moms and Jordyn took another boat to the opposite end of the island, Dad, Candice, Morgan and I hiked the length on an old Incan trail. Throughout the four-hour trek, we passed many Incan ruins, we stopped (a lot), we took pictures, we talked with other travellers, we prayed, and we witnessed the hand of God in the stunningly beautiful landscapes. At the end of the hike, reuinted with the others on the boat ride back to Copacabana, we came to the terrible realization of just how insufficient our use of sunscreen was. By the time we ate dinner that night, we looked nothing short of lobsters, and by the time we returned to La Paz, our faces were beginning to peel off. Eventually what had become handsome tanned faces turned flamingo pink once again. But despite the painful diseased-looking faces, our time together as the "Breaty" bunch or the "Beatles" at the lake was fun-filled and special.

 

Copacabana





Morgan sacrificing Candice's head on the Incan rock.
Healthy dating relationship.

-On that happy note, I'll bring you all down by notifying you that the Beatys have left Bolivia. Terrible, right? Nevertheless, the HOPE team (particularly my desperate English-speaking father) owes Lin and Jordyn our deepest gratitude and, literally, our lives and mental health for helping us survive the first few months here in La Paz. They were servants from the first day to the last, never letting an opportunity to reach out to a new friend pass them by, constantly encouraging the HOPE team and the church, investing heart and soul in their FAI work, and undoubtedly full of love at all times. For me, I can't explain how painful it was to see my best friend leave, but I'm confident of God's plan and I'm so thankful He gave me Jordyn to walk with me through our first steps in Bolivia. I've also been comforted by the fact that I'll live with her the minute I get back to the States, prayerfully! And so, after an encouraging family Christmas on Monday night, we bid our other halves goodbye amongst tears and "squeeze" hugs at 2:30am.

-And yet another set of awesome visitors arrived to La Paz the next day: Renee and Luke Walker! Matt's mom and younger brother couldn't have come at a more appropriate time--between the goodbyes and welcomes of so many casi family members, and right around Christmas time, neither Matt nor my family could've been more encouraged! Matt, like the Broyles with Candice, is visibly happier and so enthusiastic that one-half of his dearly missed family made the trek to Bolivia to visit him. And my soul has been uplifted to see another momma figure and one of my best friends visiting my new home of La Paz, as well! At this moment the Walkers are in Copacabana, but since being in La Paz I've gotten to spend great time with them, and when they return we've got Christmas Eve night and Christmas dinner planned with them!



In honor of how much I'll miss the kids... Jay took this
picture of me, amused yet frustrated, trying desperately
to get stubborn little Aaron to go to sleep.



-My work in the guarderías has finished, as now begins Bolivia's summer, so after yet another teary farewell (this time to those precious kids of mine graduating up to Kindergarten) I left Betaña and CEIKU. As of now, my profession has made the drastic change from wiping children's boogers in daycares to translating for my father in medical administrative meetings at the Hospital. In fact, it's from my little office desk that I'm writing this blog right now, sitting where Lin used to sit. (Yes, I do feel important!) Anyway, I'm just filling in as the bilingual executive assistant until John Basilio gets here, much to the relief of my dad, I'm sure. As much as I love speaking Spanish and translating, I'm sure the Dominican adult man will understand medical terminology in both languages better than my teenage self does! Come January, I'm planning on helping Gwen with her Nursing Assistant training program, but I'll explain all about my new job when (and if) I actually start it.



A girl recieves her family's
bag of gifts.



-Although it doesn't feel a bit like Christmas here in this warm and rainy Bolivian summer, we're all excited to be together and especially encourage the orphans. We've had tons of craft nights and movie nights at the girls' home, we've given food baskets and wrapped gifts to the impoverished families served by FAI, we've joined the whole church for a Christmas dinner and hilarious talent show (where Dad dressed up as the only white Santa Clause in the congregation and wished the kids a "Happy Navels" instead of a Happy Christmas), and we've got a big Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) party planned for the girls in the home. We also have our nice little fake tree at the corner of the apartment, which makes my heart skip a beat everytime I see it lit. Now I've just got to stand by it and find someone to slow dance with to Nat King Cole. I'm sure it'll end up being my mother.

Well, that's all for today, folks! (See what I did there?) Have yourself a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! (I did it there, too.) Please keep the HOPE team, the La Paz church, and the children of Bolivia in your prayers! (Sorry, that one's not a song.)

The HOPE team goes to Peru!

Today two big things happened: we made Christmas trees in the daycare (huge deal for me), and I got a letter from my dearly missed friend, Pari, in the States! It was the first piece of mail addressed to me (is that sad since it's been over three months?) and I was pretty thrilled to get it. So, just in case anybody cared about this tidbit of fact, I'll announce on my blog that it doesn't cost much to send a letter to Bolivia. :)

Now, on to what's been happening here in South America. Big things first: the HOPE team went to Peru! Two weeks ago on Thursday we headed to the airport at 7am ("we" being my parents, Lin, Jordyn, Matt, Gwen, Ashley, Mark, and myself) and took the short flight to Cusco, Peru. I'll split my documentation of the trip into the days to make it easier to follow:

:)

THURSDAY: The first thing we saw getting out of the Cusco airport: a McDonald's billboard. Jordyn, Matt and I being typical American youth, took pictures and vowed to fulfill our promise from a few days ago that we would go (naturally, Matt found out that Mickey D's was in Cusco, so we had our real freak-out session days before arriving). As we got into the city, we realized just how tourist-filled this capital city of the Incas is. It's a typical South American city with historic buildings, beautiful architecture, surrounded by breathtaking mountains and rampant with really cute latino kids, but I'd estimate about half the people we saw on the streets were foreign tourists. We'll see the occasional gringo or other tourist here and there in La Paz, but Cusco simply survives off tourism, so there's white people all around. It was incredible; as stunning as the city of Cusco was, I came to appreciate the thoroughly Bolivian city La Paz is. (Of course, there's tons of political comments I could make about the benefits of tourism and how President Evo is slitting the throat of his own country by egotistically prohibiting American merchandise and companies to infiltrate it and hence advertise the beauty of Bolivia to expats and visitors... but I won't say anything about it now.)

(Half of) Plaza de Almas

The "youngins" of the team

We spent the whole day in Cusco; we shopped in a market, ate lunch and dinner at different places in la Plaza de Almas (where Pizarro proclaimed conquest of the city back in the day!), went to a meeting with our tour guide, and mainly just walked around the downtown area. It's definitely a stunning city, but much less extreme than La Paz, in many ways. The best part of the day was probably sitting on a balcony overlooking the plaza at lunch and trying to guess where everyone below us was from. Determining Germans from Australians is harder than it sounds, really.

Cusco hotel

In Cusco we stayed in a breathtaking 300-year old house renovated into a hostel. Other than that morning I slipped down the entire flight of stairs, and Matt being sick the whole time, our stay there was perfect. (By the way, I still have bruises the colors of Barney and all his friends on my knee and thigh from that nasty spill on the death stairs, which my dad later stumbled down, as well.)

Lookout over the Sacred Valley

FRIDAY: Early the next morning, the groggy-eyed HOPE team clambered into a mini-van that would take us to the town of Ollantaytambo (they keep names short over there in Peru), where we would later catch a train to the pueblito beneath Machu Picchu called Aguas Calientes. On the two-hour van ride, our (really good-looking) tour guide named Edi described to us the historical significance of the Sacred Valley that we were traveling through. When we arrived in Ollantaytambo, which hosts the ruins of a small Incan city shaped like a llama (!!), we took a quick hike to look at an alleged Incan prison and some ancient storehouses. We passed time in Ollantaytambo (that's the last time I'm typing it), then boarded a train to Aguas Calientes. After two hours of stunning scenery and making puzzles and sitting in super comfortable seats and drinking "Inka Kola", the team disembarked at the tiny tourist-based town nestled at the feet of crazily dramatic and green mountains.

See the llama?

We spent that afternoon walking around Aguas Calientes, which really only featured a few streets swarming with desperate white-people-seeking merchants, shopping and eating pizza. Later, Ashley, Jordyn, Matt and I headed up to the natural hot springs (aguas calientes, get it?) and soaked for an hour in a lukewarm, murky pool that reeked of pee and was filled with flirtatious hairy foreign men. Needless to say, the experience was worth 10 soles, as we laughed the whole time at our typical luck. And we completely lost it when we are accidentally flashed by old French women (no pictures of that, don't worry). That night we went out to a nice dinner with the entertainment of my parents and Mark and Lin dancing to Andean music. Naturally after that full day of traveling and walking and swimming in pee-stench, we all collapsed in exhaustion the minute we got back to the hotel.

Starting to clear up

Still super foggy

SATURDAY: At four in the morning, Gwen, Dad and our new German friend/travel companion Toby began their trek on the thousand-stair passage up the side of Machu Picchu's mountain. The rest of the team was not so willing nor energetic, so we took a bus at 5:30am, zig-zagging across the misty mountain, until we reached the site's entrance gates. There we met the sweaty hiking trio as well as our friendly tour guide, Darcy. The first thing you see after entering the site grounds is the recently redone part of the city, where 90% of the stone buildings we saw were majorly reconstructed by scientists and archeologists. Our first hour in Machu Picchu was spent listening to Darcy talk about the history of the lost Incan city, and we sat in the same place without walking around because, at six in the morning, the fog was still thick over the site. At some points early on you could barely see ten feet ahead, but as the sun rose higher and the fog began to lift, it became clearer and clearer that we were standing in one of the world's greatest wonders. The severely sensational mountains all around us slowly became apparent, as well as the enormity of Machu Picchu itself with all its stone walls and farming pastures and guard houses and temples and astronomy/astrology rooms and multitudes of tourists. As we roamed about, snapping pictures and listening to Darcy, it was impossible not to be in awe of the genius of the Incan people. So many things that we learned and saw left me with my jaw dropped. For example, one room that never supported a roof was declared an astronomy room for the priestesses (since the moon was a feminine god while the sun was masculine). In the middle of the floor there were two circular figures raised in the stone that served as looking pools; water that remained on the surface of the circles stilled and functioned as mirrors reflecting the night skies. Another thing that amazed me was the irrigation system--little fountains all throughout the city that haven't ceased their flow of water to this day. I also won't forget to mention the colossal sundial, the carved boulder exactly replicating the appearance of the distant mountain range behind it, the thirty-six angle rock, the twelve month stone calendar, and beautiful ancient red flowers sprouting up all around the ruins!

Here's what we saw when the fog cleared!

Mark, Mom, Matt, Jordyn, Me, Ashley

Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun) with altars and what not

Needless to say, the city of Machu Picchu itself was breathtaking and awe-inspiring, for both historical and aesthetic reasons. After we had walked through almost all of the city, the lot of us minus Mom, Lin and Mark trekked over to the foot of Waynu Picchu, the huge mountain next to Machu Picchu that hosts more Incan ruins at the peak. The hike up Waynu Picchu is notoriously arduous, but who could go to Machu Picchu without getting the full experience? So Dad, Gwen, Ashley, Matt, Jordyn and I began our journey up the steep ancient mountain. It took over an hour to reach the peak and thirty minutes to descend. Those two hours consisted of me stumbling all over the place (typical), ripping my dad's rain jacket (typical), getting rocks accidentally kicked on me by Argentine men above us (typical), and then making friends with them (typical). As we ascended the cruelly steep stairs up Waynu Picchu and passed by exhausted victors clambering down, we were always encouraged by the passing groups that we were "almost there". Fifteen minutes later, still receiving "almost there"s. Fifteen more, same thing. An hour later, we were actually "there", sweating and angry at all the liars who had happily descended past us. (Of course, when we later went down the mountain ourselves, we encouraged each struggling hiker we passed that they were "almost there," despite their being ten minutes into the hike.)

View from Waynu Picchu

My water bottle's there
somewhere...

The view from the peak of Waynu Picchu is one I'll never forget. Albeit, there was limited space on the few boulders to sit on at the top, and it would've been all to easy to take the terribly nasty fall off the mountain, and I did drop my water bottle down the side (once again, typical), but none of us minded any of that. We sat for a few minutes and were overwhelmed by the exquisite scenery--alongside tons of other foreigners--and shortly thereafter it began to pour down cold, fat raindrops (yet again, typical, as right when we reach the summit and before we scramble down the slippery stone steps it starts to rain). The rain inevitably made our descent a lot more interesting and forced us to be extremely careful (I fell many times, I assure you), and various times on a very narrow path, someone in the group would being singing "I'm coming up, Lord, and I'm coming up soon!"

Jairo and I

So, the experience in Machu Picchu was unforgettable, and when we boarded the bus to leave the site we were all cheerfully exhausted, accompanied by our wet ponchos and Machu Picchu-stamped passports. I also made friends with a whole class of Peruvian teenagers on the bus; the girls exchanged emails with me and the boys took individual photos with me. By the time we arrived back in our cozy hotel in Aguas Calientes, I felt that I'd had a thoroughly awesome experience in Machu Picchu, which had been one of my dream trips for many years. A cherry on top of it all was the new friend I found in Jairo, the five-year-old son of our hotel owners in Aguas Calientes! Because nobody was energized enough to do anything when we got back, we all sat in the lobby together, watching Independence Day in Spanish and ordering cafe con leche after cafe con leche; I got lots of great bonding time with Jairo playing 52 card pick-up over and over again.

HOME: That night we took a train back to Ollantaytambo, then hopped on a van back to Cusco. Late Sunday morning we flew back home to La Paz, weary, grateful, filled with experiences and glad to be home.

So there's my take on our voyage to Peru; I'm sure another HOPE team member has an even better account of it all. Of course, there's tons of things to catch you all up on from these past two weeks in La Paz, but I'll save it for a later post. Thanks for reading, and please remember to keep the La Paz church, the HOPE team, and the children of Bolivia in your prayers!

A Bolivian Thanksgiving

This morning, my stomach has made noises that I don't think a bulldozer can manage to rev up. Seriously, it's sounds like there's a civil war going on in there, with bombs and cannons and little 18th-century military drums and everything.
P.S. I scattered random pictures of FAI kids throughout this whole thing, in random order and in random places, for the sake of having photos in a text-heavy post. They're cute, huh?

Santiago, 2

Obviously, today is a sick day for me (the Hospital thinks it's salmonella!), and I had to stay home from a workshop with all the volunteers called "Realismo bolivano"... I'll understand what that means when Jordyn, Ashley and mom get home and explain it to me. Today also happens to be Thanksgiving, as I'm sure you're all aware of, unlike everyone else around the world. Because Turkey Day is specifically an American holiday, it's clearly not celebrated in Bolivia, hence everyone is at work or school this Thursday, going about their usual business. That working crowd includes the HOPE team members, who are all desperately craving a day sitting among family, watching parades and football, and stuffing ourselves with pounds upon pounds of good ol' Southern cooking.

Since that's not gonna be the case for today, us patriotic gringos, refusing to let pass a year without an enormous turkey, are hosting a Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night, and inviting a few close friends to join us and learn about the American holiday. We'll also have a devotional on giving thanks and, I'm sure, tons of long monologues gushing gratitude to what God's done for us in our lives (the best part of any devo). There's a colossal turkey sitting in our freezer and waiting for its doom, as well as cans of green beans and sweet potatoes and those little crispy onion things (what are they called?) stacked in our cabinet. I'm definitely excited about celebrating this awesome holiday with my new HOPE family and Bolivian friends, although in the hearts of every team member here are the cozy family times we're missing back home. 

And for that, a big shout-out to: Candice, Morgan(!), Aunt Renee, Jesse, Paulina, Drew, Marie, Heather, Gabriel, Alea, Aunt Jean, Uncle Bob, Stewart, Garrett, Aunt Pat, Ronnie, Carol, Curt and Delaney, and a kiss on Petey's nose. Also to: Uncle David, Aunt Harriet, Grandma Rita, Uncle Ed, Aunt Jane, Dylan, Trevor, Uncle Scott, Aunt Veronica, Andrea, Jamie, Raymond, Matthew, Randy, Mary, Brendan, Elizabeth, baby Jewel, Kristen, Jeremy, baby Ty(!!!), Alaina, Lexi, Karen, Logan, Uncle Dean, Aunt Elora, and anyone else I'm missing from that ridiculously huge side of the family. Also, to Rachel Bailey, since you're basically blood. I love you all and Happy Thanksgiving! I wish we could be there with all of you!

And in honor of El día del acción de gracias, I was going to write a list of things I'm grateful for (very original, I know) but instead I'll write a list about what I'm grateful for in each HOPE team member! Here goes...

Dad: The big boss goes first on the list, of course. It's so obviously God's doing that Kevin Broyles is my father because my dad has qualities that I desperately need to learn from. The most obvious one being his  dedication to hard work. When Kevin has something to do, Kevin does it, no matter how much he may not want to or how inconvenient it is at the moment. My dad is the most disciplined and organized man I know, and the way he sacrifices his time and energy to do the tasks God sets before him blows my mind. I'm so grateful for the example my father sets in what it is to be an orderly and persistent man of God.

Yasmin, 4

Mom: Where can I start with my mother? Her passion for righteousness, godliness, and bringing Christ's love into this world simply oozes out of her every action and word. For those of you who know Noelle Broyles, you'll understand when I declare her to be one of the greatest reflections of Jesus' love to people on this earth. She never compromises or settles when given an opportunity to touch someone's life; she looks them in the eyes, she takes a genuine interest in their welfare, and manages to melt their hearts with her sincere compassion. I'm so grateful for the example my mom sets in what it means to be a living sacrifice; the woman is the world's greatest mom, servant, encourager and "impassioner", and she does it all with one leg!

Lin ("Titi" to me): Many of you know Lin and I'm sure all of you that do have been moved by her in some way. Titi's whole life has been declaration after declaration of God's glory and power. She's the kind of woman who constantly reminds everyone around of just how fiercely and deeply God loves us all. Titi's a true inspiration all around the world; her and her husband, before he passed, planted and strengthened churches in various corners of the globe, and her love and passion melts hearts wherever she goes. What I'm grateful for most about Titi is her impact on contact, just like Jesus', with every person she meets. Whether it's a new face or her oldest friend, Titi's love warms the soul and leaves you wanting to do the same with others. I'm so grateful for the example my titi sets in her overflow of the Father's powerful love.

Jordyn: Here's another person that's a little too incredible for description. God gave me Jay as my best friend, surely, because we are "perfect counterparts", in her words. Jay, like my dad, has a standard of excellence and a sense of utter godliness in her work that takes my breath away. She never takes "no" for an answer, she never settles or compromises with any task set before her, and she also never ceases to bring a party wherever she goes. Jay is loving, compassionate, kind-hearted, hilarious, and completely enchanting. Jay understands me (and puts up with me) in a way other people in my life don't (or won't). I'm so grateful for the example Jordyn sets of an intensely loyal, steadfast and lifelong friend.

Gwen: This woman is one of those people that totally stops you in your tracks with her utter gentleness and kindness. Gwen has walked with the Lord for many years, and it's very clear that each year has impressed in her a profound love for God and wisdom in His word. Gwen is incredible, in every sense of the word. She gives her whole heart to everything set before her, whether it be work-related, church-related, people-related... lo que sea, she's always whole-heartedly loving and giving. What's more, Gwen has this certain peace that just radiates from her; it's very clear she walks with God, and closely. I'm so grateful for the example Gwen sets in servitude and gentle love.

Matt: I claimed to adopt Matt as my big brother the moment I arrived in Bolivia, but there was no need--he has fulfilled the role completely on his own! Matt's love for people and passion for righteousness are made obvious through his kind words and thoughtful actions. He's graciously taken up the role of a kind of bodyguard with Jay and I, whether that be escorting us home in a bus or even walking to the grocery store with me, he's ready to protect us from even the silly paranoias we have. Matt's very gentle, easy-going, and humble, which are all such stellar qualities for brother in Christ to have in this arrogant world we live in. I'm so grateful for Matt's example as a young man of God that walks righteously, with integrity, honesty and wisdom.

Yocelin, 3

Ashley: I can't even begin to explain how much I've come to cherish Ashley so deeply in my heart these past couple months! Ashley's one awesome combination of humility, tender-heartedness, kindness, compassion, deep love and tons of fun. She is always positive-minded, sees the good in people, dwells on the lovely things of the world and is passionate about the godly things. Ashley has become a beloved big sister to me in this short time (...which will hopefully be extended... hint hint...) and I have loved every minute of goofing off with her, learning from her, watching her profound love for others in action, and always laughing with her! I'm so grateful for the example Ashley sets of Philippians 4:8--always thinking of the noble and lovely and admirable, and always acting in truth!

So there's my two cents about the team, and what an awesome team it is, as you can hopefully see. And today for me is an extra special holiday: I turn 3 years old! Three years ago today, my Father and Creator snatched me from the dark grime of the world, wiped me completely clean, and poured His Spirit into me. For three years I have walked hand-in-hand through life with the living God, just like Adam walked through the cool of the garden with Him, and every day fighting to know Him has proven to be the greatest adventure of my life. I have a constant Shepherd, Guide, Counselor, Protector, Encourager, Helper, Source of strength... there are no adjective in any dictionary in this world that could accurately describe my gratitude for the ability to know my real Father. The one who knit me together in my mother's womb continues to mold and shape my hard heart, by His grace, and pull be closer to Him in new ways every hour of my life.

Lian, 5

Here are some snippets of the passages I read this morning that reminded me of how good my God is (and I tweaked some words this morning to make it more personal):

"It is because of God that I am in Christ Jesus, who has become for me wisdom from God--that is, my righteousness, holiness and redemption." -1 Corinthians 1:30

"I was in slavery under the basic principles of this world. But when the time had fully come, God send his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because I am a daughter, God sent the Spirit of his Son into my heart, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So I am no longer a slave, but a daughter; and since I am a daughter, God has made me also an heir." -Galatians 4:3-7

"Because of his great love for me, God, who is rich in mercy, made me alive with Christ even when I was dead in transgressions--it is by grace I have been saved. And God raised me up with Christ and seated me with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to me." -Ephesians 2:4-7

Of course there are thousands of scriptures I would love to share on here, and more of those passages above, but for sake of blog space I'll leave it at that. Basically, I am one grateful, saved sinful wretch. I'm thrilled to celebrate that every day.

I was going to double the length of this post by recounting our whole Peruvian adventure, but I decided this will be enough for now. Next blog post: Machu Picchu! As for today, I hope all you Americans reading this have a special and encouraging Thanksgiving Day, filled with love and family and tons upon tons of juicy turkey! I'm thankful for all of you who are supporting us and praying for us during this time. Please don't forget to include the team, the La Paz church and the children of Bolivia in your prayers! Thanks and much love to you all!