Bolivia Reflections by Hubert - A Photo Update

*The real names of the children will not be used in this blog to protect their identities.

First day of the clinic on the way from the Kaya center to the methodist hospital dental clinic. An unexpected bonding time with the kids who immediately warmed up to us and helped us with carrying our bags, etc.

Some boys from Renecer posing for a picture.

At the hospital dental clinic with Andrea, a local dental student in her last year who came out to help us out in the morning sessions.

Martie, our AWESOME interpreter helping us out as Tony gives oral hygiene instructions

to one of the children.

The winner of the best teeth award for the week! No cavities and very good oral hygiene makes a "muy guapo" man (to be explained in a picture later).

"Oh no I didn't brush my teeth this morning!!"

Restoration of his severely decayed teeth # 7 and 8.

Dr. Joe making origami cranes for Lily and Mari at Chi and Kristin's during our breaks.

Posing after our morning session with the oldest kids. Tony's eyes are very sensitive to the sun.

Brotherly love.

Afternoon with Mari.

And also with Lily.

Tony getting totally into his oral hygiene instructions.

Kids blown away by his enthusiasm.

Showed up late on our third day due to his military duties and still got all his fillings done. He left the clinic very satisfied and happy which made us all very happy, too =)

Lollipops after the dentist? These are sugarless and contain xylitol.

Who said dental appointments are scary and no fun? Plenty of fun to go around the entire room when Tony's present to entertain us or to be used for our entertainment.

One of the staff's daughters. She sat through the exam, cleaning, four sealants and four fillings like a champion.

Running full-force and enjoying every moment of it.

Anne-Milda and her project, a wonderful mural painting on the wall across the soccer field in the Kaya center.

A man with a great smile can wear anything and still look good. Nice to see children from different age groups show camaraderie.

Another shot of the mural painting and the soccer field.

An extra space for now -- maybe a dental clinic in the future?

The team minus Tony who unfortunately stayed home for the day.

One of the rooms in Bernabe. Very impressed by the way they kept the rooms there. Smelled good, too!

Innocent smile. Priceless.

One week flew by. Everyone on the team kept saying "it was more than what we had expected". It was more than just a humanitarian trip from which you come back elated, but that chapter (or page) of the book is finished and you move on. It was more than just treating the teeth of these children. It was more than just going overseas and experiencing being in another culture. We witnessed the reality of children given another chance to live the kind of life they deserve to live and the space in their heart that used to be filled with fear and despair of being out on the streets now being replaced with hope and love. Beyond the cultural and language barriers and time limitations, there was a mutual exchange of appreciation between the team members and the children at Kaya -- one thanking the other for the dental treatments while the other was genuinely and profoundly moved by the brightness of the spirit they displayed.

We also had special moments amongst the team members ourselves. The beauty of the team this year was the breadth of different generations represented, from budding, youthful high school students to a parent and overseer of the church. We had wonderful discussions and "pillow talks", ranging from very serious ones to ones we could not stop laughing. It was the perfect way to end the long, hard days of work.

On the personal level, I was humbled. Humbled by the maturity all of the children possessed and by the amazing work Chi and Kristin have been doing in all of these children's lives. One afternoon Tony and I had the chance to talk with the older kids in the waiting room outside of the dental clinic. Some of them had known Chi for five years, eight years, even eleven years!

We thank Kaya and everyone who's supported us to have this experience. We hope to return perhaps next year, we'll just have to work on our Spanish a little more next time =)

Pictures from the Trip so far

Two of the homes for the kids (Bataña and Bernabe)

Some boys at Bataña with their tio

Two boys at Renecer

The team at church on Sunday

Captain´s Log--Days 3 & 4--Dental

Logistics appetizer
The work at the dental clinic has been nonstop to meet the needs among the Kaya children. Each day begins at 9 and ends at 7. We have about 8-10 children/adolescents that have one appointment in the morning and one in the afternoon. In the morning we rent a space in a local hospital. There we do examinations and cleanings and plan for work we will do later on. In the afternoon we rent out a dental clinic where the more invasive procedures take place. We are providing care as well as teaching preventative measures to protect their teeth. The majority of the children have fair to poor dental hygene and many have problems that required more than we were able to give. Many suffer regular pain, gum disease and rotting teeth. Our hope and prayer is that we can enable Kaya to provide dental services that can act as preventative measures for protecting these childrens´ teeth.

Highlights main course if appetizers aren´t your thing
Amidst our busy schedule, there are still too many highlights to speak of here. The native people that we´ve encountered in our work have been a gift from God. Our translator Marti is great, and also Andrea and Ursula, two folks we work with in the clinics, have just been amazing to work with also. Not only do we work well together but we have shared tons of laughs (most of them at my expense).

Our shared joy opened up some really great dialouge. Today we talked at length about Kaya and some of its history as well as the work they have been engaging in. An impression was made, and Marti has already been inquiring about ways she could help Kaya long term as a volunteer.

Simple dental work has also made an impression. Julio had some decay in his front teeth and quietly asked if it could be fixed. We all shared in his excitement 20 minutes later when there were as good as new thanks to tooth colored fillings. Today, Henry missed the morning exam and cleaning and came late to the afternoon clinic hoping to get an appointment. Our dentist working at the clinic was able to stay so we ushered him in. After the work was done, we showed him the final product. The gratitude on his face was unforgettable, rewarding and beyond describable words. Though we ended up being late to dinner, all of us were thankful for the experience.

Personal Note dessert if thats what you want

The feeling of privilage to be here and participate in this cannot be overstated. I am jealous of these people we call Bolivians. They are the second poorest nation in the world but many of them have a joy I do not have the right currency to buy. People here greet with a little cheek kiss (its soo cool) and their warmth and welcoming spirits are truly touching. When I get back to the states that´s what I want to take with me. I hope that I will have the resilience to experience the joys that God has provided, regardless of the circumstances.

¨First shall be last and last shall be first¨. Its been an honor to rub elbows with the princes and kings of our next life. Those that this world have dismissed and society brushed aside, will be reminded by our Lord that they were never once forgotton for eternity.

Tony

Day 3 and 4

(Anne-Milda)
As Tony mentioned in the blog before this, it´s been hard to write everyday (mainly because the internet is very moody), so I will write about yesterday and today.
Yesterday was a good day for some and not too good for others. Josh was sick so I´m guessing that yesterday wasn´t his best day although he did get to watch movies all day so I don´t know...I got to have a Spanish class in the morning, but it was the last one for this week (thank goodness! I didn´t enjoy getting homework)
After a fantastic lunch I went to the Kaya Center to continue painting the wall. When I got there, though, I was so surprised to see how much other people had worked on it. It is so colorful. I am very excited for it.
So yesterday wasn´t the most exciting day but today was definitely my favorite day so far. We decided to cancel the Spanish classes because they took up the whole morning. By doing that, it freed up the mornings so I could see the kids. I was pretty bummed because I had been here for two days and I had yet to see and spend time with any of the kids. But this morning, Katia (a voluteer for Kaya), Josh, and I got to go to Hogar Renacer and see the youngest boys. We had such a blast. Even though Josh and I couldn´t understand pretty much anything the boys were saying, we just had a lot of fun taking pictures, playing Uno, and spending time with the boys. While we were there, we were supposed to interview the boys (just ask them a few basic questions) but we also had to take pictures of them. They all insisted on taking their showers and combing their hair to perfection before Josh took their pictures. I thought it was so cute, though, when one of the kids came out with a nice shirt and clean pants and was shining his dress shoes. After hanging out with them for a few hours we went with them to play soccer at a nearby field. Josh and I almost died just getting there though because we had to walk up a HUGE mountain.
In the afternoon we went to the Kaya Center and continued painting on the wall...it´s definitely getting there!
That pretty much sums up today. The dentists will hopefully write later this evening, hopefully...
Buenas Noches
Anne-Milda

Days 1 and 2

(Tony)

Thanks to a blackout Josh and I are now working on this blog. AMP who will be known anonymously as AM-Pu, wait no...how about Anne-Milda P, was originally supposed to do the blog tonight. During devotionals the power went out in Chi and Kristen´s home, where she is staying, but two blocks away, where we are staying, there is power and plenty of internet bandwidth (por una computadora).

No really, we are thankful for this chance to share with you how our time here has gone so far. We flew in safely to La Paz amidst some terrible news. Two of our dear friends on their way to a missions trip from Korea were involved in a tragic bus accident. One died during the crash and the other is in critical condition and may not wake up from his coma. All the people on our team have been deeply affected by this tragedy. Every chance I get I reflect on all the good times we had as well pray desperately for his recovery. I catch myself thanking the Lord each time I walk out of a taxi (there are no seat belts here in Bolivia, at least none in the vehicles we ride in) and other times I thank the Lord for no real reason at all.

Overall, though, for us our flight into Miami then to La Paz was smooth and safe. Unlike, last year, our supplies were not nearly confiscated and we went through security without a problem. The altitude, 12,000 ft in El Alto and 9,000 ft in La Paz, is definately noticable, but overall everbody is adjusting well.

On Sunday the highlight was the walking tour of downtown La Paz. After an all Spanish speaking church service in the morning, Chi brought us to downtown La Paz in La Plaza San Francisco. Chi explained a lot of things about the streets including his experience finding street children and showed us where they used to sleep. It was amazing to see what kind of lives these street children live, and how everyday is a battle for their life.

On Monday, Dr Joe, Hubert and Tony(thats me) started our first full day working at two different locations. In the morning we rented out the dental room at a local hospital. There we did cleanings, fluoride treatments and examinations. In the afternoon we went to a clinc that was high tech even for american standards. A sad moment in the day was when we asked the children what their birthday was. Half of them were unable to provide that information. I thought to myself about children in the US that all know and look forward to their birthdays. These children have no one to tell them when their birthdays are. My highlight working in the clinic was when a boy Jorge was being comforted by one of the other children in the room. Jorge was about to get a shot of lidocaine (an anaesthetic) and began to cry. Myself and two other spanish speaking adults attempted to comfort him to no avail. However, Adrian was able to comfort Jorge and give him the courage that he needed. Though these children do not have a family background they demonstrated that they indeed know what family is. Kaya´s staff have done a fabulous job with these children.

(Josh)

While the doctors were working on teeth all day, I got the pleasure of interacting with the kids at on of the homes of Kaya. In the month of October, Kaya is organizing a "Kaya Challenge", where participants will be challenged to raise $1,000 for Kaya. This is roughly the cost to bring in and support one child from the street. Every day, as encouragment for the participants, an email will be sent out with a picture and short biography of one of the kids currently in Kaya.

To help with this, I went to one of the homes -- La Casa Batana -- and took pictures and interviewed about a dozen of the children. Thankfully, some of the kids remembered me from last year, avoiding a potential awkward situation. It was awesome to meet and reconnect with some of the kids, and I had a blast while I was with them. The boys in the homes are family to each other, and I was amazed to see how close they were with one another, joking, hugging, and encouraging at all times. If nobody had told me, it would have been hard for me to tell that at one point these boys were living on the streets, fighting for their lives everyday.

During the interviews, I was touched by many of the responses the kids gave me. When I asked a boy,"if you could have one wish granted what would it be?", he responded, "una familia". Though most of the kids all wanted to be professional soccer player when they grow up and all admire Messi, many of their responses came from their heart and showed that there is more to them than many would think.

Overall, the time with the kids were awesome and I can´t wait to go back again in the days to come.

While I was doing this, Anne-Milda was working hard on a huge (I mean really, really big) mural for the new Kaya Center. Just recently Kaya rented out an old school as their new center, and while the whole school is spacious and has great potential, it still needs alot of TLC. So, with her painting skills, Anne-Milda prepared a mural upon the boys request of "animals playing sports". While this will definately help beautify the Center, this is also an oppertunity for some of the older kids to get involved, by helping paint what will be thier own wall. Though it is sure to be a lot of work, hopefully the mural will be finished by the end of the week, so that our team (but basically just Anne-Milda) will leave our mark on the Kaya Center for years to come.

It´s been great informing all of our friends and family how our first work day went. It was busy, but very productive, and hope to keep everybody informed throughout the rest of the week.

Gracias,

Tony and Josh

Even more pictures

Here are mine: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyosity/sets/72157621800967639/

Joy

More Photos for your viewing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pocktlynnt/sets/72157621799376635/

Last Day

On the streets of El Alto

Me and Omar

(It's taking too long to upload photos...)

Today was our last day in Bolivia. It´s been a full week of getting to know the children at the Kaya Center, visitng the three group homes, walking the streets of San Francisco and El Alto, filming, interviewing, taking photos, teaching songs to the children, playing games, cooking, teaching the recorder to the kids, interacting with the staff, and learning more about the organization and its future goals. Combine this with the intensity of the work being done here and I am totally exhausted! But it´s been such an amazing time and now it´s time to think about how to apply what I´ve learned back in the States.

What we did today...

Joy and I went to Plaza San Francisco to do a little shopping although we didn´t really purchase anything. We toured the coca museum. Did you know that they used to put cocaine in coca-cola but after it was banned they just use coca leaves for flavoring? Yes, I think that was my main take away from the museum.

Afterwards we went to the Kaya Center to have lunch with the kids but one of their mini buses broke down and they didn´t return from their outing until later. The children went to a park where there were several giant slides. Lynn out some good footage of it. Looked like a lot of fun although I heard their bums burned on the way down from the friction and you had to climb back up the hill to go again.

Some thoughts...

The children are so loveable and the staff is so committed to them. Some of the older boys were playing soccer against another school yesterday. All the boys from the homes came out and so did the house parents. There really is a family feel to the homes. The younger boys who are not ready to get back into the school system look up to the older boys who go to private school in the mornings and come to the Center during lunchtime. When the doorbell rings during lunch, the younger boys try to guess which of the older boys are coming and give them a warm welcome. When the older boys go to school they wear uniforms. The four boys who are graduating this year from high school wear suits on certain days. The whole community here is just so proud of them and they are such a testiment to the work the God is doing.

On the Kaya brochure there is a quote from one of the boys that says:

Once when I was sleeping in the grass, these ladies passed by and they said, "Look at those punks. They should just die." I was really sad in that moment and sometimes you want to do crazy things and I just wanted to go up there [on the bridge] and throw myself off...

I look at these children and there is so much hope and life in them. It saddens me to think that they once felt worthless and felt so much pain that they would constantly inhale paint thinner to escape their life. It doesn´t seem easy even after they come off the streets. The children have a lot of adjustments and learning to do such as learning to sit at a desk, learning to pee into a toilet bowl, showering, learning to hold a pencil, following rules and facing the consequences of breaking them. The children have to deal with their life on the streets and past abuse. The children are so happy when I interact with them that I forget that they are still struggling with issues and are in the process of healing. It doesn´t seem easy for the staff either as the children have many needs and may run away. However, the staff is committed to raising the children as if they were their own and they work together as a community to raise these children who would otherwise have no one to call family.

Tonight Lynn, Joy, Grace, and Juan Daniel went to a food festival. A sampling of the best food in La Paz, Bolivia. Juan Daniel is 16 years old. He is one of the four Kaya students who will be graduating this year from high school and headed to college. He recently got his certificate in cooking and wants to open up his own restaurant one day. It was wonderful to experience with him an interest he has, to see his potential, to see that he has a bright future ahead of him. I don´t think anyone would say that he should die because he´s not worth anything. He is precious in God´s eyes and many people, from teachers to supporters of the organization, have enabled him to know his worth. I feel so blessed to be a part of a community of believers who follow God's calling to take care of his sheep.

photos!

Day 5

This morning the three of us went with Chi, Pato (the Kaya director), and Guisella (one of the Kaya psychologists) up to the Ceja in El Alto. The Ceja is basically the downtown area where there are a lot of shops and street vendors. We met up with Michael, a former street kid, and he took us around to show us where the kids usually sleep and also pointed out where some have died recently. We were told not to bring any bags or to put anything into our back pockets and to try to keep everything in our inside pockets if possible. Chi always stayed in the back to make sure we were safe.

At one point we saw a girl inhaling paint thinner which is their drug of choice because it´s cheaper than alcohol and keeps them warm and makes them ¨fly¨or get high easily. Michael and Guisella also talked to a boy, Christian, who followed us around the rest of our time up there and agreed to come off the streets and into one of the houses on Monday next week. Please pray that he does so.

We also ran into Emma, a medical studnet volunteer from the UK that had been here for several months already. She had treated a kid who had a stab wound in his neck, and while we were there this time she checked up on him. Our last stop was under an underpass where there was a mattress on the bare ground on which 10-15 kids would sleep surrounded by dogs who would guard them. We returned to the hotel via two mini-buses (one from El Alto to downtown La Paz, and the other from downtown to Calacoto).

That afternoon Jane taught one of the classes how to play ¨Mary Had a Little Lamb¨on the recorder. Some of the boys picked it up really quickly! Thanks, Peggy, for donating them. After the class, there was a birthday party for Vladimir, the youngest boy in the Center. He turned 6! There were balloons and goodie bags, and a small cake for him. Apparently one of the birthday traditions is that after the kid blows out the candle, they all chant, ¨Bite the cake¨and when they do, someone behind them pushes their face into the cake. This time Chi just picked the cake up and smooshed it into Vlad´s face. It was awesome. Then some of the boys made speeches to say goodbye to Emma and Anthony, who had been doing a 1 month rotation here are part of his 4th year at BU med school.

After all that we went up to a soccer field near Renacer House where the older boys were playing soccer against another school team. I´ve never been so invested in a soccer game before! The boys came from behind to win 6-5!

Lastly, we came back down and had dinner with Kristin at a Peruvian restaurant. Now that I had experienced a lot more, I had a lot of questions to ask her about the future of the program and how we could best support them when we returned to Boston.

Tomorrow is our last full day here in La Paz, so please pray that we could use it to its fullest. So far the plan is to interview Chi and Kristin and then maybe do some souvenir shopping before going to a Bolivian food festival to thank Juan Daniel for making us dinner on Tuesday night. Thanks for reading and praying for us! Love,

Joy

Buenos noches!

My name is Lynn and for those who don't know me, I'm a graphic designer, currently at RISD and attending Highrock and have spent the past month here in Bolivia. And let me tell you...this place is awesome!

Filming has commenced with the children and staff at Kaya's orphanage and educational center. It's been an incredibly wonderful and overwhelming time here as the team has been behind cameras and as we try to get to know the 30+ children. So far, we've been able to get great footage of everyday life and the surrounding environments and some great interviews with the local staff and some of the older boys. Days and nights have been packed with activities and filming. Our short time here is flying! But what can I say? I absolutely love it here, the children are so warm, and film has been an inspiring new medium to work with.

This morning, Jane and I were up before the sun with my camcorder at the boy's orphanage house, waking them up and capturing their morning routine: teeth brushing, bed making, chores and an early game of Uno. I think the kids hate and love us for it ;) But we were able to share breakfast with 10 of them like a one crazy family and play rock, paper, scissors with them for a while. It was a highlight for me.

Tonight, Joy taught the boys how to make Chinese dumplings which we will feast on for dinner. Delicioso! Tomorrow, we head to the streets of El Alto to shoot street life and to interview current street children as well as Chi and Kristen Huang, the directors and founders of Kaya.

I am feeling so alive here, both being able to interact with the kids and to use my creative skills to really support and spread the word about the great work that Kaya is doing. The staff here are so inspiring and recklessly selfless, acting as teacher, parent, mentor, friend, social worker and psychologist to these kids. I am constantly amazed by them and feel so honored to interview them and share their story.

That is all for now. I'm tired, but in that wonderful way. Two more days left of this adventure and I return to the States. Thanks for all your support and prayers! They have sustained us thus far.

abrazos y besos,

Lynn

Day 3

I'm blogging again because Lynn and Jane have an early day tomorrow. They're waking up at 6 am so that they can go to one of the residential homes (Bethany House) to film the kids morning routine. I, on the other hand, can sleep in a bit since I'll be leading the cooking project later tomorrow.

Today we started off with some interviews with the staff: Giovanna, the educational director and Pato, the program director. Then we sat down and had lunch with the kids at Kaya Center. Lunch consisted of a hearty vegetable stew, fried chicken, rice, and re-cooked freeze-dried potatoes. I was so full I couldn't even make it to the dessert, which was a type of pudding with a dried peach. After lunch Jane led the kids in some songs from the Avalanche Ranch CD in Spanish. We taught them the motions for "The Great Adventure", "This is the Day", and "God is Good". Then we played a modified version of "Hit the Deck" where uno = attencion (standing in attention position), dos = pikachu (this modified version of rock, paper, scissors where if you win you get to squeeze your opponents cheeks), tres = goal (two people form a soccer goal and one person is the goalie), quatro = four people in a line doing the can can, and cinco = commodore (the dining hall, where one person kneels down to be the table, and four people eat around him). The last 2 people standing got to pick two Jelly Roll pens that Jane had brought. She ended up giving everybody a pen for participating though.

After another round of the songs, we got to interview two of the older boys about their life on the street and in Kaya. Then we hopped on the mini-bus with the boys and went to visit one of the homes, Renacer, which is the transition home. The boys there are the most recent off the street and also the youngest. About ten boys live in the house with one house uncle. There's a courtyard in the middle where they've set up a volleyball net and also a foosball table. Lynn and I played Uno with one of the boys and Jane played chess with another boy. They were very sweet and patient with me even though I couldn't understand Spanish.

Finally, we took a taxi back down to Chi and Kristin's place where one of the older boys who was graduating high school cooked a dinner for us. He made tacos, chicken Cordon Bleu, and pasta for us. It was really a wonderful testament to what the program has been able to do for the boys, and this one in particular. He hopes to have his own restaurant one day.

As I've been able to interact with the boys more and more, I find it hard to believe that they were once on the streets. They're so much like the little boys I see at Highrock; like little puppies just all over each other and so affectionate. I think it will be really good for me to go up to El Alto and see some of the kids that are currently of the streets for a comparison.

Also the three of us have been really impressed with the staff here. They give so much more than just what's in their job description for these kids. Some of them are teachers, bus drivers, gym teachers, house parents, etc. And they've been so willing to also give us some of their time so that we can understand more of what they do and why they do it. I can't wait for the interviews to be translated so I can hear their stories and share them with you as well.

Thanks so much for all your prayers; I can't believe we're already half way through our time here! Love,

Joy

Day 2

Today we went over to the Kaya Center for the first time (only 1 block away from the hotel) and Kristen gave us a quick tour and introduced us to some of the staff. The therapy room was named the ¨Chocolate Room¨by the kids because after each session they´d receive some chocolate.

After lunch at Cafe Alexander with Chi and Kristen, Chi took us over to the San Francisco area of La Paz, which is where he used to minister to the street kids. He walked us through some of the areas he mentioned in his book, ¨When Invisible Children Sing¨. We walked through the ¨Witch´s Street¨where they sold dessicated llama fetuses to be buried as a sacrifice. We also passed 24 hour brothels, the girls and boys´orphanages where he used to volunteer as the doctor, and San Francisco Plaza where he used to play soccer with the kids. Chi told us that the street kids have moved up to El Alto since the police have cracked down in the area in the last 12 years. We´ll probably be visiting El Alto later this week.

After the tour, we came back to the Center for the dedication of the Spanish books that Kjell Pu had brought as part of his junior year project. He presented a book to Eddie, the boy that had won the Kaya award for the year for best all around performance. Lynn and Jane were able to start documenting with the camcorder and digital camera. Afterwards, the kids went to go play futsol, which is basically soccer but with a smaller field and ball.

We went back to Charlie Papa for dinner with Stephanie, a Highrocker who was spending 2 months down here. She told us a bit more about her experience here and how she´s really fallen in love with the kids and doesn´t really want to go back home.

In contrast, I´ve found myself thinking, ¨What am I doing here?¨ several times today. When faced with the differences between my comfortable life back home and life here, I´m tempted to just shut myself down here and try survive until I can go back. But then I keep reminding myself that this, too, is part of God´s creation. These too are the people that He loves. And there´s a reason why He asked me to come here. I admit that it´s been very easy in my life to ignore what´s happening in the rest of the world, and I really hope that by being here this week, God will be opening my eyes to something that I won´t be able to so easily ignore when I return.

Joy

Safe arrival for Team 2

We arrived safely this morning in El Alto, Bolivia! I could definitely feel the effects of the high altitude as I could barely move my luggage through the immigration line without having to stop and catch my breath. Praise God there were no problems getting our visas or getting our luggage through customs. The customs guy barely checked. I think he was too preoccupied with my pen which I let him borrow but he would not give back. I asked for my pen back only for him to kiss it and offer me one of his. Why not get on his good side? So I accepted this exchange and went on my way. Joy and I met Chi at the gate and we headed to our hotel in La Paz.

I went to church with Kristen, her kids, and David Ray who´s here to help Kaya with their accounting. The service was in Spanish. I tried to sing along in Spanish and try to make out what the preacher was saying but eventually gave up. I was told I lucked out because the sermon didn´t go on for 2 hours. I met some people working or volunteering with Kaya and people working with other organizations in the area. It seemed like there was a close community of missionaries working in difference capacities to minister to the people here.

After church we had lunch with the Haung family. Then took a nap until Lynn came. Finally, united as a team we explored the area and ate at some fast food chicken place...I forget the name but I had the combo fiesta which had some fried plantains. We had a devotional back at the hotel, brainstormed ideas for the video, and went downstairs for some tea to help with the altitude. We ran into the Pu family and they shared with us their insights and experience this past week. It was helpful to hear their impressions.

Tomorrow we start our day first thing in the morning at the Kaya Center.

Day 7

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd." Matthew 9:36

We had our daily morning devotions at 9:00 and headed staight to the Kaya Center where we presented the beautiful mural painting as a gift from Ana Yee and her friends. In addition to the painting, Ana also donated the $53 she and her friends raised for the children at the Kaya Center. The money was used to treat all the kids and staff to salteñas, a delicious Bolivian specialty which the kids rarely get to enjoy.

After salteñas and recess, we joined the kids in their chapel. We sang songs and a few of the kids acted out the story of the Good Samaritan which was entertaining to watch.

The physicians in our group spent their afternoon giving the all kids their annual physical exam. Meanwhile, the rest of the group spent their time reflecting on our trip and experiences.

We closed the afternoon back at the Kaya Center where we told them how much we appreciated their hospitality and exchanged our formal good-byes with the kids.

We ended our trip by going out to dinner to a popular local restaurant called Charlie Papas.

Tomorrow morning, the Yee's will be going back to the states, but the next Highrock group will be arriving. On Sunday morning, the Lee's will be returning home. And Tuesday morning, the Pu's will be retuning home.

Anne-Milda Pu

Day 7 Pictures

(Top: Kristen presents the mural presented by the group to the children, Second Row: The children are handed Saltenas, a Bolivian delicacy, Third Row: The boys participate in a game similar to tag, Bottom: The group and children get prepared for the chapel service.)

Day 6 Pictures

(Top: The group on the streets of El Alto, Second Row: The permanent homes where the boys live, Hogar Bernabe and Hogar Betania, Third Row: The boys playing Ga Ga Ball, Bottom: The boys playing Wiffle Ball)

Day 6

“And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:29b

We began our day with morning devotions led by Chi, discussing the parable of the Good Samaritan. With this parable and the question “who is my neighbor?¨” on our minds, we headed back up to El Alto (elev. 13,000 ft), one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in Bolivia. There we met Michael, Kelly, and Santos, all from a local ministry working with street children, as well as Emma, a visiting medical student from the U.K. The streets of El Alto are filled with crowded minibuses and people, walking or selling food or small items along the roads, as well hundreds of stray dogs wandering around. Led by Michael and Chi, we went to some of the areas where street kids tend to hang out.

At our first stop, we met several kids and teens living on the streets, many of them sniffing balls of yarn soaked in paint thinner. We offered them our warm greetings, some fresh ham sandwiches, and in a few cases, minor medical care. One teenager, known to Michael and others, was recovering from an infection on his lip due to the paint thinner, and a knife wound on his neck from a recent altercation.

We also visited the place where 20 to 30 kids sleep at night: on a mattress of cardboard under a plastic tarp on the median strip of a highway beneath a bridge. The ground was littered with the small plastic bottles of paint thinner that these kids inhale to keep them warm in the frigid nights of El Alto and dull their pain from past and present traumas.

After saying goodbye to Michael, Kelly, and Santos, we headed back down into La Paz to eat lunch before heading up the side of another mountain to visit Hogar Bernabé and Hogar Betánia, the two permanent homes built by Kaya Children International. Twenty boys live there with house parents in a family style setting. These homes are in a poor semi-rural neighborhood, surrounded by spectacular mountains with a view of the city in the valley below.

We had two special activities planned for afternoon recreation. The first activity was building a hexagonal wooden structure to play the game “GaGa,” an action packed game similar to dodge ball. The boys quickly picked up the simple rules and played until the sun went down. The second activity was to introduce them to the classic American game of Wiffleball. They quickly caught on, blasting singles, doubles, triples, and home runs (perhaps aided by the thin air at that high altitude!).

After the sun set, the temperature dropped quickly and we went indoors. Kristin gave us a guided tour of one of the homes, notable for each bed being neatly made and the clean and comfortable common areas for gathering. We then rode back down the very bumpy dirt and gravel roads, crammed into a minivan, back to our hotel for dinner and evening devotions and time to reflect up the stark contrast of what we saw and experienced today in the morning and afternoon. We reflected upon the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan, and the question and admonition of Jesus: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert in the law replied, The one who had mercy on him. Jesus told him, Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:36,37)

- John Yee

Day 5 Pictures

(Top: Dr. Huang watching the kids work, Bottom: Two of the children concentrating on their project)