It’s been awhile. My apologies. Blogger switched to Spanish and I'm kind of scared of it. Also, every time I’ve sat down to write on this thing, I’ve given up. Somehow it always ends up along the lines of, “Oh, I just love Bolivia. Check out all of these adorable orphans. Hurray for missions trips! Bolivia 2012, whaddup?” I do love Bolivia. I do love orphans. As seen below, there is a whole schwackload of reasons why I love Bolivia. But if there is anything that the past 6 weeks have taught me, it’s that love is not always easy. Love is not always happy. Sometimes it is. But sometimes, love is painful. It gets messy. When Jesus was on that cross, I don’t think that teddy bears and unicorns were on his mind somehow. But that’s the greatest love that ever was.
The world is unjust. Bad things happen to good people. This is something I have always known. I saw those World Vision infomercials growing up. But then the TV would get turned off. Back to the real world.
And then I came here.
This is the real world. This is not just an infomercial.
When I came here, I often prayed that prayer: Give me your eyes. Help me have compassion. Break my heart for what breaks yours. All of a sudden, those people in the infomercials were my friends, my brothers, my sisters. And I hated it. How could they be sleeping in the street, while I have a bed? How could they be blind, while I can see? I don’t understand. Why them? Why not me? I didn’t want to love them anymore. Because that feeling sucks, straight up. I don’t want to be just a helpless bystander.
But then. I am blessed. Because God has put people in my life that I love so much that it hurts me when they hurt. And I am so thankful for that. Because life is not life without love. I have been given a big family here in Bolivia. It’s a different kind of love. One that’s not easy. And I love it.
Now. For the list. People whose lives have touched mine. New members of mi familia, whether I anticipated them or not.
1) Percy the Trufiman. All day, every day, Percy stands on the corner and calls for people to get into the parked Trufis. He makes less than 5$ a day. Every day, on my way back home, Percy finds me a Trufi, no matter if my village is on their route or not. He’s a hero.
2) Daniel. Every time I walk in the door of Casa de Amor, the orphanage I work at, Daniel runs up to me, frequently sporting his birthday suit, and screams “TIAAA.” Auntie. This is usually followed by a super slobbery kiss. How he has so much love after losing his only family, I have no idea. My favourite little tot.
3) Paula and Jacqueline. Teenage girls that share a blanket in downtown Cochabamba. They taught me how to dance like a true Bolivian. Personal salsa lessons in the street. Arrrrrriba.
4) Alejandro. He sat down beside me in the plaza one day, and we got to talking. Small talk. Where ya from, what do you do. Then about life. Then about God. “Do you really believe that God could have grace for a cocaine addict like me?” Yeah. I do.
5) Monica. 17 and living on the streets. The same age as me. The first time I met Monica, she offered me the only water she had, and would not take no for an answer. Every time I see her, she is far more concerned about my ankle than about her own festering infection. Selfless.
6) Clark. One year old. Epilepsy, HIV, cerebral palsy, and blind. Abandoned. Most beautiful babe you ever did see.
Yes, the world is unjust. I will never understand. But God is just. And that is enough.
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.”
Proverbs 31:8-9
