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.