July 6 post

Our second day of working in Bolivia started at a local street side market to purchase supplies for our Bread Run early in the afternoon.  With Mike’s direction we purchased 250 oranges, bags of chocolate milk,  and bags of flavored puffed corn each to distribute.  We also stopped at Mike’s friend, José, who is baker and the place where Mike always purchases the bread for Bread Runs.  When we arrived though, we learned from José that there had been a problem with his ovens that morning and he did not have any bread to sell to us.  He gave us a short tour of his business and explained the process of baking the type of bread he normally sells to Mike.    

After a bit of a ride to the outskirts of Cochabamba, we arrived at Sipe-Sipe, a poor villiage on the edge of town.  We then proceeded to walk the streets for over an hour looking for children to offer the food to.  The pattern on each new street always was one or two children were outside when we came up the street.  We would give the child food “con Dios”  or of/from God and begin walking towards the other end of the street.  Suddenly, there would be another child a little ways behind us so we would stop and give that child food.  Before long, children would be coming out of the woodwork by the dozen.  Some of the mothers came out with the small children and we gave them food as well.  In just a little over an hour, all of our food was gone and many children could be seen scurrying around clutching fruit and puffed corn. 

We then took a winding, scenic dirt road up a mountain and stopped at the  Incan Ruins. We had then had several hours to eat lunch, explore the ruins, and take in the beauty around us.  Photos cannot accurately capture the beauty of the rolling hills, sprawling city, and snow capped mountains.  Mike showed us a short tunnel through the rocks which is believed to be the tunnel in an Incan legend. 

After climbing through the tunnel, we wound our way down the mountain to the Plaza to minister to the glue sniffers.  Glue sniffing is a serious problem in Bolivia.  It is an inexpensive way for the homeless people to get high.  Glue sniffing is not exclusively a problem among the poor, however once addicted they begin to spend their money on the glue instead of food.  We spent time talking to the glue sniffers who live in the park while two women with medical training treated some of the glue sniffers.  It was a very overwhelming experience for most of our group seeing how dependant on the glue these people are.  They spent every minute we were there with their jars of glue held against their noses.  Once we were back on the bus, Mike told us that while seeing these people in such a low state is hard, it is a reminder of why IOU Bolivia’s ministry is so important.  Most of these homeless glue sniffers lived on the streets as a child and turned to glue sniffing as an escape from their dismal lives.  There was one couple with a one year old boy who would occasionally hold one of their jars of glue up to the baby’s nose.  Mike told us this is fairly common for glue sniffers living on the streets as the glue helps curb hunger when the parents cannot provide enough food.  This feeds into the start of street children turning to glue like their parents continuing cycle with each generation.  By rescuing orphans and putting them in the homes they are much more likely to go to school and not end up back on the streets as an adult. 

We finished up the day with dinner and discussion at the Timmer’s house.  Bonnie cooked up some wonderful pasta dishes and we had some time to relax and enjoy each other’s company.  We then spent a length of time processing and sharing about what we had seen and experienced that day.  While it was the most shocking exposure and emotionally charged day we have spent in Bolivia, we all ended the day feeling like we also learned a great amount about the lives many Bolivians live as well. 

For an updated version of our prayer requests, go to the “Prayer Request” tab at the top of post.

Pictures will be coming soon!

Thoughts from the team about today:

For me the bread run was one of the best experiences on this trip so far. I couldn’t help but smile the entire time I was there. These children would have such huge smiles on their faces as you handed them food. You couldn’t understand them and they couldn’t understand you, but the one word “gracias” said it all. I loved seeing the little kids come running down the street to meet us, and there was that one kid who knew how to beat the system…He would come back around a third or fourth time and it wasn’t until the fourth that we realized we had given him food before. But no one cared; we were giving these kids food all in the name of con Dios or “with God”.

-Lydia

My emotions keep changing from overjoyed, to angry at God, to uncontrollably saddened as I meet and interact with so many poor and neglected/needy children.  The most noticeable trait that almost all of them show first is their need for attention.  They all beg for attention, although each differently.  For example, the toddlers and younger aged kids in the nutrition center cried for attention.  The older kids at the washing have much more varied tactics such as hand touching,   holding onto us, hugging, and following us.  But all of them, no matter their age, always lap up even the slightest amount of attention.  Anything from a simple smile, a friendly “Hola!” or a full out hug and cheek kiss.  Which is why I’m having such a hard time coming to terms with our wealth (both possessive and spiritual) versus their poverty (also possessive and spiritual). 

~Kaylee