2014 day 6

One common question that always comes up about the Bolivia Mission Trip is, "What will you be doing while you are there?" Most of the time as the conversations goes on, it is clear that people want you to give them a list of tasks like: making pews, painting walls, etc. Then I try to explain that we don't know those details until we get there, sometimes until we are engaging in the task. This is a very hard thing to understand for most people. It goes against all our cultural norms of efficiency and productivity. A mission trip such as this isn't about what we "get done" but rather about letting God work in and through the encounter with our brothers and sisters in another culture. It reminds us that we are in partnership with Christians around the world, united by Jesus Christ. It is a mutually building-up of the Body of Christ as we infect one another with hope. So we don't just work, we spend time hearing each other's stories, joys and struggles. We learn about each other's lives 

We dropped in on the Emmanuel Sewing group in action. They were busy making treasures. 

Pastor Daniel was meeting with the youth in a small group!

We visited the school at Emmanuel Methodist Church. They serve children from 6 months to 6 years old. Because of the needs of the children in this community, the school takes a wholistic approach to education. Each child has a medical screening and check-ups during their time there. Many children come to them with stomach worms that cause them to be malnurished and therefore impede brain development and learning. So by having a Dr. at the school they can treat the child so that they are able to develop and grow in a healthy way. What a ministry! 

They also have a full dentist office. Most of the children have never owned a toothbrush so their teeth are crumbling. Each child has regular visits throughout their time there and all services are included in their tuition, which is a very small amount. Some of the money we raised is going to buy a new dental examination chair, which is very much needed because the current one is very, very old and broken.

We visited all the classrooms of the school. It reminded me of a Bolivian Trinity Day School. :) Because of the poverty level of the students, they are fed four meals during the school day. Many don't eat again until they arrive at school the next day. So again, the school recognizes that a child can't learn when they are sick or hungry, therefore they address those needs. The annual budget for the school is $35,000 and there is an UMCOR advance that is set up for donations. 

It was such a joy to see the work God is doing through Emmanuel Methodist Church! It is humbling to be a partner in their mission.