Laughing through Death Week

This week, our cute little HOPE team commune, where we have such jolly times together, transformed into the Apartment of Death. Or, to put it a little less dramatically, the Apartment of Diarrhea and Vomiting and Accidentally Swallowing E Coli. Needless to say, God is teaching us great things here in La Paz!

During death week in the apartment... thought some of you may enjoy this lovely picture of myself.

...But really, we are learning lots. The enormity of cultural differences, for one. If you want a hilarious and descriptive account of our past week of failures and discoveries, check out Jordyn's new blog post. It's worth the read.

Yesterday, I started my first official day on the "job", working in the daycare at Casa de Paso. Let me first say that I am in love. The minute I walk in the door, tons of kids--despite the protests of the desperate women trying to sit them down and feed them lunch--come running to surround me, shouting "¡Me llamo David!", "¿Que te hablas?", etc. I don't think I need to describe to you how my heart completely melted, and continued to melt as the short four hours passed by. The kids are from 1-5 years in age, and about 35 total; there are four women who work in the nursery, and one volunteer from Scotland--who happens to be an 18-year-old girl--and they're all extremely kind-hearted.

Since I arrived at the start of almuerzo, I spoon-fed the littlest ones and encouraged the older ones to eat more ("¡Unita más, por favor!"). After lunch, it's time to settle them all down for siesta, which became my new favorite interaction with the kids... you basically hold them down and gently order them to "Cálmate"o "Cierran tus ojos"until they fall asleep. It was hilarious to watch the littlest ones thrash around under a firm hand on their face, laughing and occasionally singing, until they crashed.

Since we're all slowly but surely recovering from the poop epidemic that imploded in the household (unnecessary pun?), this week has been more low-key than usual, much to our grateful souls and stomachs. My father is laughing his way (often forced laughter) through the many burdens of intense work, language barriers and sickness. Most of the time we find ourselves laughing at my mother, who dedicates her whole heart to learning Spanish and, in the process, makes friends with literally everyone she meets on the street. Lin is working hard, translating hard, sleeping hard, praying hard and laughing hard, as usual. Gwen just has to laugh through the extreme differences in Bolivian health care and that of the States, many of which have compelled her to begin training nurses as soon and as thoroughly as possible. Ivelisse is finding her God-given place in the FAI projects, and is also leading multiple Bible studies with young women, which are always full of conviction, passion and, yes, laughter. Jordyn is being piled upon with schoolwork (four AP classes!), daydreaming about Chick-Fil-A often (a tender topic for the occasionally homesick team), in and out of our probably miserable bathroom, and somehow managing to laugh her way through it all.

As for me, to be honest, I'm having to learn how to laugh without feeling guilty about doing so, knowing that there are so many kids on the streets right now who will never have the joy I get to have. My easily passionate nature can be extreme sometimes, so I'm praying for and learning discernment of how to balance (1) the emotional intensity of my work with the kids and (2) having the joy in life that my God created me to have. It's truly amazing to study out Jesus' walk on earth, being fully confident that every action and word on his part was for our benefit, was to teach us something, was to scream out to the world how much he loves us. I know that as long as I fix my eyes on the Author and Perfecter of my faith, I will shine like the light God intends me to be, especially in this dark place. And we will all laugh with Him one day in heaven.

Some terribly cute kids in the nursery.

So to sum it all up: we're all laughing through life in La Paz! Once again, go read Jordyn's blog post for some laughs of your own, and while you're at it, go check out the new team blog!
Every member of the team updates it here and there, so it's a nice representation of the team's journey, to say the least! If you've been reading my blog, you'll find some familiar posts on there.

Once again, thanks for reading, please say a quick prayer for our team and the people of La Paz, and keep me updated on your life! I love you and whole-heartedly miss you all in America! Go eat some Chick-Fil-A for me!

A few verses that helped my heart...

After visiting the Casa Refugio and hearing the stories of fathers, stepfathers, brothers and stepbrothers who rape the young girls in their own family, I was overwhelmed by the severe selfishness and wickedness of men so cruel. The fact that the men in the family impregnate the young girls (some as young as 11 years old) and leave them to fend for themselves and the baby makes me sick to my stomach. After praying a lot and crying many tears, God showed me tons of verses about His promises of justice and providing a refuge for the afflicted. I thought I'd share a few of them with you!

"God is mighty, but does not despise men; he is mighty, and firm in his purpose. He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their rights... Those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction." -Job 36:5-6, 15

"'Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,' says the Lord. 'I will protect them from those who malign them.' ... O Lord, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever." -Psalm 12:5, 7

"When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to the evildoers." -Proverbs 21:15

"The salvation of the righteous come from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him." -Psalm 37:40

There are plenty more, of course, but I hope these few verses comfort you as they did me!

La Vida Buena

Right now I'm witnessing the first rain I've seen yet in Bolivia. Somehow, God even makes the looming grey clouds look beautiful over La Paz (even though I've lost sight of most of the city). The winds are crazy! Anyway, besides the thrilling news that yes, it's raining, there's tons happening with the HOPEww team here.

My dad, mom and Gwen are taking Spanish lessons three times a week with Profesor Jaime, a man who not only speaks no English but enjoys the severely firm approach to teaching, as well. Needless to say, all three students' learning curves are completely vertical, and they're enjoying the Spanish language immensely. My dad says "La vida buena!" in every conversation. It perks us all up.

On Monday morning, another wonderful addition to the team made his way to La Paz--after a 23-hour layover in DC, mind you--James Jacoby! We were excited to welcome him to the team with a solid American pizza dinner, with a side of oreos and peanut butter. (We told him not to get used to the American food.) James is staying with a campus brother named Oswaldo and his family in Alto Obrajes, not far from where Matt lives with the other FAI volunteers. James is 22 years old, a University of Florida graduate, and hopes to stay in Bolivia for a year, más o menos.

Yesterday (Tuesday), James joined Ivelisse, my mom, Jordyn and myself to visit "Proyecto Escuela en la Calle", part of Casa de Paso's Proyecto Calle. This is an incredible project headed up by an FAI worker named Justo ("Justo Perfecto", he called himself), who has befriended a group of teenagers who live under a bridge right over a busy highway. It's extremely dangerous to swing down from the overhanging bridge into the little gap beneath the road, where the kids sleep, so James was the only one from our group who got to clamber down (despite Jordyn's and my desire to follow him).

See the boy hanging from the bridge? That's the "front door" to their "home". A group of about 20 young adults, between 15 and 20 years old, live in that little gap you see underneath the bridge.

James, probably freaking out inside as cars zoomed by underneath him.

Justo, having taken time to gain their trust, began teaching short classes for about 10 of the kids once a week. The goal is to have the government allow "Proyecto Escuela en la Calle" twice or thrice a week, but it will take time to get to that point. Yesterday, Justo administered a quick math test (in other words, we all just thought up random problems, and the students wrote the answers on their papers).

Some of the kids taking their test! (After being served a sandwich and hot
coffee, since they sleep all night in the freezing cold.)

After the school session, we rode back to Casa de Paso with the group of teens, who are all very involved with drugs (they especially like to sniff a mix of gasoline, shoe glue, and water to help curb hunger pains and chills). Some of them are involved with drug trafficking, and many sexually-transmitted infections go around the group, as most of them have open romantic relationships with one another.

Yesterday we also visited Casa Refugio, FAI's home for young mothers, between ages 12 and 18. 99% of the cases in el Refugio are inter-familial rape cases, especially between fathers and their daughters. After being impregnated by a family member, it's not safe or desirable for a preteen or teenage girl to stay in the home, so the Refugio welcomes the young mothers from these situations, providing social, legal and psychological assistance. There are 20 young mothers and their children who live in the home. While the mothers go to school for half the day, the children are taken care of, played with, fed, etc. The mothers are offered some vocational training (i.e. bakery) and taught the basics of being mothers.

Yesterday, we also visited the home of a family who's supported by FAI's Proyecto Social Apoyo Familial. The single mother, having been paralyzed from the waist down in a work-related accident, left her two younger daughters (11 and 12 years old) to the care of her 18-year-old daughter. Their home is one room and rather unexplainably heartbreaking. It was good to be there and simply love up on the wheelchair-ridden mother, as well as chat with the oldest daughter, who was very shy and sick with the chicken pox.

All in all, the things we've seen are intense and real, and I've been completely humbled by the impoverished lives of the majority of La Paz's people. We are honored and thrilled to be here!

Please keep FAI in your prayers, the volunteers, the HOPEww team, the La Paz church, and most importantly, the kids of La Paz. Thanks for all your love and support!

La Paz, looking stunning as always.

There's a FIRE in our hearts!

Hi all, here's a quick update on life in La Paz...
On Sunday (4 de septiembre), the streets of La Paz were almost eerily quiet due to the Día del Peatón (Day of the Pedestrian). No one was allowed to drive between 9AM and 4PM--except police, of course--while everyone was encouraged to walk, bike, go to the park, play futbol, and such. Also, the sale of alcoholic beverages was banned all day on Sunday. All of this meant that tons people were outdoors, enjoying the beautiful weather, and prime targets for getting invited to church by the eager disciples roaming the streets.

A group of about 20 people, disciples and visitors, met on picnic blankets under shady trees in one of the many parks in Zona Sur (the southern part of the city). My dad shared a quick lesson (translated by Lin) about God's love, reading scriptures from Romans 8 and Isaiah 49 and other incredibly encouraging chapters. It was an amazing thing to be reminded of God's unstoppable love for us, as we listened to His word, totally surrounded by His awe-inspiring mountains, and sitting among other brothers and sisters belonging to Him. We took communion, prayed, and afterwards fellowshipped over a variety of PB&Js and Bolivian chicken sandwiches.

On Monday, the work began! My father, Lin, and Gwen started their first day at Hospital Arco Iris, and came back home fairly encouraged, slightly overwhelmed, but completely fired up about the work set before them. My dad and Lin have already started looking into the prospect of a new hospital building in Zona Sur, while Gwen is eager to begin training nurses and nurses' assistants. Their first day at HAI gave all three of the team members vision, direction, and anticipation to get going!

Meanwhile, my mother, Ivelisse, Jordyn and I spent the morning touring the Niñas Obrajes home, Centro Betaña, and the Betaña nursery. (If you want, go to www.arcoirisbolivia.org for descriptions of all the projects... there's an english version of the website, no te preocupes...) All four of us were utterly impacted by many of the kids' stories and were craving time with each individual child, while all the time being inspired by the good work that Arco Iris is doing and the way each project strives to meet each child's needs. Today, after a morning of fun sorting-out of Bolivia visas/residencies, the four of us took a quick tour of Casa de Paso. On the top floor of this building, where the children of ages 1 to 5 years spend the day--while most of their mothers work as prostitutes--is where I found my heart... but that's another story for another (longer) post!

Truly God is doing amazing things in Bolivia. It's been only a week for most of the team, and already each of our hearts have been softened and moved. Please keep the disciples, FAI workers/volunteers, and especially the street children and orphans of La Paz in your prayers.

P.S. A team blog is in the making, in which every member of the team will take turns in sharing their thoughts, stories, and testimonies of how they see the hand of God in their work! We'll keep you posted! (Please note the pun.)

P.S.S. A few pictures from the Betaña nursery...

Ivelisse and some of the incredibly endearing kids

Me in my happy place!

Beautiful little girl in nursery

View of Alto Obrajes outside the Betaña center

some more beautiful children...

The Basics

Well, howdy there, first blog post! ...Probably not the classiest way to start a blog. But I'll just cut straight to the chase:

My name is Brie, I'm 18 years old, I just graduated from high school a few months ago, and this year I'm taking a "gap" year before university and living in La Paz, Bolivia. My parents--Kevin and Noelle Broyles--are both amazing people and disciples of Christ, and God presented them the opportunity of moving to La Paz! My father, a former Duke doctor and medical administrator, is now employed by HOPE worldwide and will be leading a small HOPEww team in collaboration with a program called Fundación Arco Iris.

FAI was established almost 20 years ago by Father Jose, a Catholic priest from Germany, who had a vision for social programs that would meet the medical, educational and emotional needs of the many (thirty-thousand, to be exact) street children of La Paz. FAI has become one of the most respected and cherished programs in the country, due to its comprehensiveness, the warmth of the employees/volunteers, the genuine interest in the kids' welfare, and the reliability of its services. The Fundación is divided into three parts: Hospital Arco Iris (which provides primary, urgent and intensive healthcare to the community), Social Programs (which include orphanages, pass-through homes, schools, and more), and Productive Units/Vocational Training for teenagers (i.e. Bakery, Carpentry Shop, etc.). All of these programs daily serve hundreds of kids from the streets, either with severely desperate home lives or none at all.

The HOPE team consists of:

Kevin and Noelle Broyles (mis padres)

Brie Broyles (me)

Lin Beaty and her daughter, Jordyn Beaty

Gwen Ellis

Ashley Perry

Ivelisse Cardona

Matt Walker

My dad will be helping with leadership development for the medical directors of Hospital Arco Iris, as well as facilitating the collaboration between Duke University and HAI. Alongside him, Lin Beaty (a women's ministry leader from Atlanta and an RN) will be exploring opportunities to open up Arco Iris-HOPEww satellite clinics in other parts of the city. Gwen Ellis (a sister from Triangle, NC and an RN) will be facilitating continuing education for nurses in the Hospital, as well as developing a Nursing Assistant Program in Bolivia.

My mom (a former nurse) is exploring opportunities to volunteer within the FAI social programs and help develop opportunities for other volunteers from the States. Ivelisse (a sister from Atlanta, originally from Puerto Rico) will most likely be focusing her efforts with the girls in the orphanage. Ive has a lot of experience in developing programs for kids that build their self-esteem. She's eager to instruct dance classes for the girls and simply love up on the kids. Ashley is an accountant, also from the church in Atlanta, and is excited to volunteer within the social programs with the kids.

Matt Walker, a 23-year-old brother from Charlotte, NC has been living in La Paz for over three weeks already, and is an FAI volunteer living in a dorm-like building with the other volunteers. Matt works with a project called Talleres in the Casa de Paso (pass-through house), where he helps kids create and build what they want to make.

As for me and Jordyn (16 years old and one of my dearest friends, a gift from God for me!), we're just here to love up on kids and serve our Lord!

I believe God is making this verse come alive in a new way during this time: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded." (Luke 12:48) I've grown up surrounded by love, deep relationships, people who have sincerely cared about me and invested in my well-being. Freely God has poured so much love in my life, and now I am eager to freely give that same love to these kids who have rarely (if ever) felt love like that. The prospect of bringing God into a seemingly godless life, hope into a seemingly hopeless life, love into a seemingly loveless life (you get where I'm going here...) excites me more than anything in the world. I am honored, humbled, and absolutely thrilled to be here and give as I've been given to.

P.S. This blog post is just the background of what we're doing... the intention of this blog site is to let you all know what my family is up to in La Paz, what God is teaching us, dreams we're dreaming and new people we're walking through life with. As I'm authoring this blog, the adventures that I document will probably have a personal twist, if you're okay with seeing Bolivia through the eyes of a teenage girl. I will try to update the blog at least once a week, hopefully more, since so much happens every day. I'm excited to fill you in on OUR lives, as long as we stay filled in on yours! (We're still on email and facebook, no excuses!)

P.S.S. Here are a few pictures...

La Paz, Bolivia... It's the highest elevated capital city in the world! The temperature is beautiful in the day (feels like 65º) and cold at night/early morning. The population is huge and the city itself is very spread out. La Paz is stunningly beautiful and we're excited to call it home!

Querido Lector...

Just testing what a post looks like on this blog... I hope you found reading this worthwhile.