Saying Good-bye

I am sitting in a hotel room in La Paz reflecting on what an awesome week this was. My wake-up call is scheduled for 3:00 in order to catch a 6:30 flight to Miami. But, I have to put down my thoughts on our closing time in Uspa Uspa.

The water filter project was an amazing success. I talked to at least 20 women who thanked me (many in tears) for coming to their community and providing them with a tool to keep their families healthy. But, despite the success of this important project, none of the team members say that it was the most significant part of the trip. Instead, they insist that the trip was about a connection—a connection between two communities separated by thousands of miles that will make a difference in both.

When we were training before the trip, Anthony said that he would do anything except share a testimony. But when we were asked to share with the community during a parents’ workshop on the importance of the family, Anthony was the first to volunteer. He got up in front of 40 or so Bolivians and shared what his family has gone through in the last four years and how his parents have stuck with him. Laura followed him by sharing some of the pains of her family history. I followed them by preaching from Colossians 3 (the household codes). The point of the workshop was obvious—families are important. Whether you are Bolivian or American, families are important and God wants us to be faithful within them.

When we were done speaking, Marianne, the little girl Brooke and I sponsor, came up to the front to hug me and give me a gift (a beautiful alpaca scarf). Another woman approached Anthony in tears to thank him for sharing—I can only imagine what she must be going through with her own boys. As the community said “good-bye,” we couldn’t help but feel that we would be missed.

Throughout FH’s pre-trip training, they emphasize that it’s not about the project, it’s about the relationships. They couldn’t be more right. Water filters break, but a shared story can change a life. The filters are an inroad to a relationship, and a relationship is a vehicle for the Gospel.

I am returning to the States more excited than ever about the C2C. It is one of the best projects I have ever been involved with. I am already planning for 2012, and I can’t wait to see what God does as we continue to walk with Uspa Uspa.

See you on Wednesday!

Labor in the Lord

Today I ate dinner with a Bolivian family headed by two grown Compassion sponsor kids. They both work successful jobs (the father, Fermin, is the head of FH’s work in Cochabamba), they have 2 beautiful children, and a wonderful urban home in Quillacollo. We spent the evening eating pique macho, worshipping God while Israel played the guitar, and listening to Fermin and Naomi recount stories of the impact of child sponsorship and how it had helped them grow out of poverty. At the end of the evening, Fermin shared a verse with us: 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (ESV) There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

It’s hard to describe my time in Bolivia without comparing it to last year—new team, new project, new context. It’s different being here as part of a C2C—it feels more permanent. It’s different seeing familiar faces, taking in familiar sites, and tasting familiar food. It’s different not doing manual labor. It’s different being with a smaller team that I didn’t know as well as the team I travelled with last year. But, the biggest difference is that this year’s trip is clearly about child sponsorship and the child development coalition.

We are doing less work on “the project” and more work playing with kids and visiting with families in the community. I got to meet my sponsor child, Marianne, along with her mother and brother. I have been invited into half a dozen homes and have been allowed to video residents of Uspa Uspa talk about the water in their community and the difference that the water filters will make in their lives. I’ve seen how the child sponsorship program transforms a community, even in just a year. It’s been amazing.

Yesterday we met with some community leaders (including the president of Uspa Uspa, Don Miguel). We then received training on how to assemble the water filters that we brought with us in Bolivia. The afternoon was spent visiting the families of sponsored kids.

Today we visited more families, and also participated in some community training events. Together with the project coordinator Jose, we taught two groups of about 40 moms each how to put together and use the water filters. They were extremely grateful for Believers Fellowship’s generosity in bringing the filters to Bolivia. We finished the day with a soccer match against the local kids and then dinner at Fermin’s house.

So far I’ve taken about 30 GB of media—mostly HD video. The rest of the team has taken some great photos, and I can’t wait to share them with the team.

It’s been awesome to see God work in the team. Our debriefs at the end of the night have been amazing, and I think a number of the team members are finding what they were looking for by coming here. More on that later.

Tomorrow will be more home visits and more soccer. (By the way, soccer is an excellent way to bond with the locals since the language barrier isn’t an issue.) On Sunday, we are running the church program, and then the community will say farewell. I will be preaching at a church in Uspa Uspa and then the team will be running a vacation Bible school. Pray for us!

Thanks for being a part of this awesome work. It took a lot to make this happen. I know a lot of you donated money or time or prayers to help one or more team member make it to Bolivia. Believe me, in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Good night!

Break-downs and Lockouts and Blockades, Oh My!

Has a pleasant surprise ever turned a tiring day into a joyful one? Have you ever been at the end of your rope, only to be reinvigorated by something completely unexpected? That’s what happened to the Believers Fellowship Bolivia team today.

Saying that it’s been a long 48 hours is like saying that Justin Bieber has a few 12-year-old female fans. Traveling to Bolivia is brutal, and just about everything that could have kept us from a safe trip to Bolivia almost did keep us from a safe trip to Bolivia. The adventure started at 4:30 AM on Tuesday. I arrived at the church a half an hour before our planned 5 AM departure. One of our drivers arrived shortly thereafter and warned me that she wasn’t sure her car was going to make it to the airport. Not knowing what other plans we could make at 4:30 AM, I told her “I have confidence in your car. Let’s pray hard and roll the dice.” When we were stalled on the side of I-5 ninety minutes later, I started to second guess my decision to “risk it.” Fortunately a friend in Puyallup was awake and drove to our rescue. We made it to the airport by 6:30—90 minutes before our flight was scheduled to leave.

We made it through security a full 45 minutes before our flight was scheduled. The waiting room for our flight was full, so Sam Heath and I grabbed a seat in a neighboring gate to wait for the overhead announcement of our boarding. I checked the clock every few minutes as Sam and I chatted. Our 7:30 boarding time came and went with no announcement. I checked the clock a few minutes later—7:35 and still no announcement. When I checked again and saw that it was 7:45, I decided to look for the rest of our team. No one was in sight. “Something is wrong, Sam,” I said. “It’s 7:45, they haven’t announced our boarding, and the rest of the team is gone.”

Sam and I made our way to the gate to find out that we had missed final boarding and that the tunnel to the plane was locked. I have been locked out of flights like this before; it’s not a good thing. But it was only 7:45 and our flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until 8:00. Fortunately, they let us on the plane, but as we boarded, one of the flight attendants said to me, “Oh, I see. This is the part of the flight where WE wait for YOU.” (Just kidding on that last one.)

Fourteen-and-a-half hours of flying, four hours of layovers, three time-zone changes, and zero underwear changes later, we landed in La Paz. Having made it to Bolivia, nothing could go wrong—except a crowd of protestors blocking the streets of La Paz.

Paul and Lucy Spadoni sponsor a girl through Compassion who lives right outside of La Paz. We made special arrangements for them to break from the team for the day to go visit their sponsor child. They got out of La Paz okay, but while they were away a mob blocked the road back to the airport. (We still had one more flight to catch later that day.) Fortunately, their driver was pretty savvy and got them back to the airport safe, sound, and on time for the flight to Cochabamba.

When we landed in Cochabamba, we were all exhausted. High altitude sickness had sapped us in La Paz, and the short flight from there to Cochabamba was bumpy and a bit terrifying. I found that it help to close my eyes before we took off and then not open them until after we had landed. I made it all the way without getting sick, which raised my average to 1 for 3 on that flight. Sam reminded me that not even Ichiro is hitting .333, but somehow I wasn’t consoled.

As we gathered our luggage and headed out of the airport for the final time, I was ready for a hot shower and a cool pillow. But, I knew that there was more work to be done in Cochabamba that day and that sleep would have to wait. I lurched into the main terminal pondering how I could possibly make it. But, just as I was about to collapse, I saw something up ahead. It was a crowd. Of kids. With banners and musical instruments.

Food for the Hungry had arranged for the kids from their Child Development Coalition to meet us at the airport with hugs and a song. It was just what we needed. The excitement in those kids’ eyes chased away all of the travel fatigue in an instant. We remembered why are here and what we have left to do.

Well, it’s 10:00 PM on Wednesday night. I slept for four hours on Monday night and I haven’t felt a bed since. But I can’t wait for our wake-up call tomorrow. Tomorrow we take the water filters to Uspa Uspa to begin the clean water initiative. In the afternoon we help with FH’s Child Development Coalition. It’s going to be awesome.

The team is pumped and God is already moving!

2010 Summary and 2011 Short-term Trip

We are gearing up for another short-term trip to Uspa Uspa! Thanks for checking in. I will update this blog from the field as often as possible.

We had an amazing experience on our vision trip last year. We were considering Food for the Hungry's Community-2-Community program, and we embarked on a short-term trip to see firsthand FH's work in Bolivia. We couldn't have been more pleased with what we saw.

Last year's project was to lay the groundwork for a community center/computer lab. The project was to pour concrete on a floor that would eventually become a meeting space for the local church, FH, and other community organizations. We also supplied the community with 2 computers. In addition to the project, we also met with key leaders and heard their vision for Uspa Uspa.

When we returned to the States, we immediately began praying over what C2C would look like for Believers Fellowship. The child sponsorship and short-term trip commitments are substantial, so we didn't want to jump into the project unless we were confident we could complete it. After much prayer and discussion, we decided to partner with Uspa Uspa through FH. Over ten years, we are committed to sponsoring 20 more kids every year, to visiting Uspa Uspa at least once per year, and to praying for the work that FH is doing there.

The second project under the C2C is a clean water project (the first one was the community center). Last Christmas, in conjunction with the Advent Conspiracy, we raised almost $17,000 to bring clean water to Uspa Uspa. Since the water project costs about $100 per family in Uspa Uspa, we sold water bottles labeled with the project description for $100 each. The idea was to purchase a water bottle to give to someone at Christmas instead of buying them a gift that they really didn't need. About 170 people chose to give a loved one a water bottle for Christmas and explain, "This year I got you clean water for a family in Bolivia for Christmas." It was awesome to see the congregation get behind the project like that.

In March, Juan Pablo Belmonte came to Believers Fellowship from Bolivia to update us on the field and tell us about "God's Surprising Solution to Poverty." While Juan Pablo was with us, we sponsored 24 children in Uspa Uspa, bringing our total to 58 kids sponsored. A few weeks later, we dedicated our Easter offering to the C2C (and other outreach projects), and the congregation responded by giving over $30,000. Praise God!

On Tuesday we leave for Bolivia to implement a project that has been a year in the making. Almost 200 families in Uspa Uspa will have clean water thanks to Food for the Hungry and the C2C partnership between Believers Fellowship and Uspa Uspa.

I can't wait to see how the field has changed, and I will update you as often as I can from Bolivia! I appreciate your prayers as our team is on the field!

Matt Edwards

Bolivia Recap Video

Hannah made this recap video about our trip to Bolivia.

Final Work Days

I'm sorry for not updating the blog yesterday—it was crazy busy and we had to get up early today.

Saturday was our last day on the work project. As always, we were up early and off to the work site. Again, the locals had been hard at work in our absence. They had all of the rocks laid for the foundation, they had made forms, and the concrete was already flowing. I'm not sure if it was because they wanted the locals to do the work or if they thought the job was too technical for us, but FH had us doing grunt work. They asked us to clear one of the hillsides of rocks. When we had finished with that, they asked us to move rocks from one pile to another. After about 2.5 hours of moving rocks, the foreman said that there was no more work for us to do. So, we were off.

(In case it's not clear, I am pretty sure that they let us go because they had so many volunteers from the local community. They definitely didn't need all of us to do the work. So, given the choice of sending us away, sending some of the locals away, or having us all stand around with no work to do, they made the best choice.)

After getting kicked off of the work site, Natalia from FH gave us a tour of Uspa Uspa. Some of the locals invited us into their homes, so we got to see what domestic life looked like for the community. One house we visited raised goats. Their dung can be sold for manure and their milk can be used for cheese, but the primary role of goats and sheep is as a savings account. Should something happen and the family find itself in hard economic times, they can sell a goat or sheep for some quick emergency cash.

Natalia also took us down to the river where one family was doing laundry and another bathing their children. She and Ruben (another FH worker) explained to us that clean water is the biggest health need in Uspa Uspa. The river was polluted with human and animal feces, and yet the locals would use it as drinking water.

After the tour we ate lunch and then headed to the soccer court for the afternoon futbol activities. First, we supervised a tournament for the local children. The winning team got a soccer ball as a prize. Then, we played against a local church in a friendly match. We lost 4-1, but we were happy to have scored against them. Aundi Ragan scored our lone goal, earning her the nickname “futbolista” by the Bolivians.

After the soccer match, we met with Pastor Felix, the new pastor at the church FH works with in Uspa Uspa. We asked Felix about his experience with FH and his hope for Uspa Uspa. Felix recounted how as a youth he noticed that there were a lot of needs in Bolivia, and that some churches were doing a better job of addressing those needs than others. In order to get his church on the right track, he started volunteering and organizing new ministries, and eventually he ended up as the pastor. He partnered with some missionaries to complete a theological education certificate program. He was active in a church in Toro Toro (sp?) before moving to Uspa Uspa 2 weeks ago.

After a great afternoon with the residents of Uspa Uspa, we washed up in preparation for dinner at Julio's house. (Julio is the head of FH Cochabamba.) His wife and his nieces cooked us a feast of traditional Bolivian cuisine, and we had a fantastic evening of food and fellowship.

We got home late, but still had a lot of preparation to do for Vacation Bible School the next day.

Sunday morning started with a dedication ceremony at the computer lab that we were building. The work is far from over, but Bolivians like to dedicate things at significant stages in construction—not just at completion. The community leaders, leaders from FH, and leaders from Pro Justica all gave speeches to commemorate the new building. During the second speaker, I glanced down at the program and noticed that there was a slot for a leader from Believers Fellowship to do something. I couldn't understand what it was that they wanted the “representative from Believers Fellowship” to do, but the word was the same word was used for the leaders who were giving speeches. I guessed they wanted me to speak. Sure enough, a few minutes later a translator told our group that they wanted one of us to speak. I thanked them for welcoming us, for allowing us to partner with them on the project, and for taking it easy on us in soccer.

After the dedication ceremony, we went over to the church to put on the VBS for the kids. We had decided to do a theme of “trusting God” from Daniel and the lion's den. We acted out the scene from Daniel, taught them a song called “Why Worry?”, helped them to make lion mask out of paper plates and construction paper, and led them in a game we made up called “leon leon.” (They play a game called “pesca pesca,” which is basically tag.) We designated some of the kids lions and some angels. If you got tagged by a lion, you had to stand still and put your lion mask on. If you were tagged by an angel, you were unfrozen. The game sounded great on paper, but all 50 of the kids wanted to wear their masks, so it was impossible to tell who was a lion, who was an angel, and who was frozen. After the game, Chip shared his testimony about being raised by a single mom and how God took care of his family. He encouraged them that in Christ they were new creations and that their pasts didn't have to determine their futures.

After the VBS, we went to Miguel's house for lunch. (Miguel is a community leader. It took us forever to get them to explain what that means. Basically, he was an informal leader in the community before the residents of Uspa Uspa elected him to represent their neighborhood to the government.) Miguel told us his story—how he came to Uspa Uspa, how he got involved in FH, and what he hoped for the community. He identified clean water and education as the biggest needs.

I was introduced to a new product today—Imodium AD. I highly recommend it.

Lunch with Miguel represented the last “work” part of our trip. We have now met all of the key players in Uspa Uspa society, and have found out firsthand their hopes for their community. They are sending us back to the U.S. with a lot to think about. The rest of our trip will be debriefing with our team, debriefing with the FH workers, site-seeing and travel. Thanks for praying for us. Please continue to pray as we finish our time in Bolivia!

Day 3

Work day 2 (our third day in Bolivia) was even better than work day one! We spent our time doing construction, playing soccer with the adults, and assisting in an after school program for kids.

Again, we were up at 6:45 to hit the road by 8:00. Our driver Johnny is proving to be one of the most valuable members of the team, since the roads here are nuts! Traffic lights are mere suggestions, tailgating is the norm, pedestrians are unpredictable, and right of way goes to the most aggressive driver. Johnny has been fantastic—we are in awe at his ability to navigate the perilous streets of Cochabamba.

A surprise awaited us in Uspa Uspa. The locals had continued the work when we were gone and had made quite a bit of progress. It's amazing how they work. They don't use any of the tools or standards that we do, yet their craftsmanship is something to be seen. For instance, they measure distances by walking it off. When they need to dig a ditch, they eyeball it for straightness. They don't use rebar to strengthen their concrete work—they simply pour a layer, let it set a little, and then stick rocks halfway into the drying concrete. When the concrete is dry, the rocks will function as rebar. It's crazy!

We continued the dirt and rock work, and then transitioned to concrete. I expected to mix the concrete by hand, but they had a mixer that sped the work up. Consistent with their other methods, the measurements for the concrete were: 1 bucket of water, 3 shovels full of cement, and 14 shovels full of gravel. When all of the materials were in the mixer, they would eyeball the consistency and tell us what we needed to add. But, their methods worked. We were able to lay a foundation for the external walls!

We were supposed to work from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, but we finished early. So, at 11:30 we went back up to the soccer court for some futbol. These are some of my favorite times—not because I love soccer so much, but because it is a great time with the local Bolivians with whom we otherwise would not be able to communicate. We played soccer for about an hour and then headed back down the hill for lunch.

After lunch, we returned to the FH Uspa Uspa headquarters for the after school program. About 50 or so kids showed up for help with their homework. Working with the kids was a little frustrating at first because of the language barrier. Those who were able to speak a little Spanish could help the kids with their math or art projects, but the older kids studying geography or natural science were pretty much on their own.

When all of the kids had finished their homework, we started to play. This is when all of the kids lit up. We kicked around a soccer ball, played keep away with a basketball, jumped rope, and took lots of pictures. The kids loved seeing their pictures on the digital cameras. (I would upload more pictures or video, but the internet connection here is pretty slow.)

Thanks for praying for us. Today was an amazing day. Chip Maxson was able to pray with a girl named Ophelia—she is sponsored by the Believers Fellowship youth group. He prayed that God would take care of her family and help her get through school. She didn't have a Bible, so he gave her a Spanish-English one that he brought. She was excited to receive the Bible, but even more excited that it had English, too! When Chip finished praying for Ophelia, they were both in tears. It was pretty moving.

Please continue to pray for us as we interact with the people of Uspa Uspa. Members of the community join us for the construction projects, and we get to spend a lot of time with the kids. All of this means that we have a lot of time with unbelievers. We don't speak the same language, but we are able to communicate. Please pray that we will have a positive influence on them!

I am very impressed with Food for the Hungry so far. They are a great organization—very intentional and skilled in their work.