A Bolivian Welcome

Saludos! Ashley and I have arrived in South America and we are very excited about the days ahead of us. On August 3rd we traveled 29 hrs to Cochabamba. Starting in Houston we went to Miami, then to La Paz, Bolivia...then to Santa Cruz, Bolivia...and then finally to Cochabamba, Bolivia. We spent hours on planes and in airports and I am so thrilled to be on this trip with such a great group of youth and adults. They are very easy going and interesting individuals. The group from St. Paul UMC is international in itself, including people from Guyana, South America and Liberia, Africa. We used the travel time to get to know one another and all the paths that led us to this trip together.


I will never forget the welcome we received upon arrival at the Cochabamba airport. Here we were, totally exhausted from the travel and there was a group of Bolivians there with a sign that translated “Welcome youth from St. Paul’s” They sang a song and then the District Superintendent and other staff person from this district welcomed us in Spanish. I was moved to tears…I had to hold back from flat-out weeping. The DS said that he hoped that this would be a week of encounter for us. My soul resonated with this. I couldn’t ignore the tears that caught me off guard. For I did not know these people at all and yet they were welcoming me as a long loved relative. What a manifestation of the Body of Christ. I too pray that this will be a week of encounter, that we may encounter God in new ways. I pray that we may encounter one other, our Bolivian and American brothers and sisters through the Holy Spirit through which we are united. Eulalai, a staff person for the district, said that even though we may not understand each other’s words all the time, she hopes that we will connect throughout actions and signs. Tonight Rev. Emily did a devotional on the first chapter of John, the Word made flesh. She pointed out that on mission trips we are all so eager to give to others what God has gifted us, but that is only half of the encounter. We are eager to be the body of Christ expressed through our flesh, but we must also learn to receive from those we encounter. Today, before we had a chance to give to anyone, they gave to us. They welcomed us with extravagant hospitality and in that exchange, we encountered the living God.

Blessings,
Rev. Katy Ware