Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Finally Brazil!

The busride to Bolivia was long; eighteen hours. Mom was feeling pretty sick, and had a fever that she'd had for a while. We weren't sure if we should just stop, and get off the bus, or if we should keep going, then go to a doctor once e got to La Paz. We stood, and prayed for mom, and what we should do. It was decided we would go ahead, and if she got sicker, we would just stop where we were. Thankfully though, she got some better, and was able to travel. Like the majority of buses down here, there were the movies, which even though they were like stupid, unrealistic science-fiction ones that aren't even worth watching, waste your time. The landscape changed quite a bit from leaving Lima to arriving at the boarder in Puno, next to lake Titiicaca (the highest navigable lake in the world I think it is). The first being right next to the ocean, and all you can see is sand dunes, and the sea stretching out to the west. We were able to see the sun setting over the water, and although the dry, arid sand dunes were not the most attractive, looking out over the horizon, the sun slowly melting into water was beautiful. From there we climbed to where the landscape, although not nearly lush, was more green. There were little scrub bushes with llamas, donkeys and sheep nibbling on them, and instead of the palfrawn walled shacks by the beach, brown, adobe huts with grass roofs were scattered here and there. Instead of the polluted air of Lima, there was a fresh smell, and it was harder to breathe because of the altitude.

The whole way to the boarder, we had all been praying Cam would get through with no problems, being underage, with no written permission to be traveling alone. When we arrived there, we went straight to immigration, the whole time seeing the answer to our prayer being unfolded before our eyes. We had absolutely no problems, and were through the crossing half hour before it closed (unlike the last time my family had gone through, with all the Peruvian Y.P. , arriving just as it was closing. There was major complications there. Out of the twenty of them, at least a few of them were underage, and because they had left on a holiday, no notaries were open, and they didn't have the necessary notarized letters. The boarder people didn't want to stamp them out. They ended up having a really hard time, but the Lord worked it all out in the end)! From Puno, we took a little minibus-like van the two hours to La Paz, the highest capital city in the world. We were all exited to be able to actually lay down for the night, and a little bit hyper. We sang songs, talked, and watched as the sky darkened, and the lights around the lake began to turn on reflecting on the water.

Arriving in La Paz we weren't quite sure where the meeting room was from where we arrived, so Dad called one of the brothers, while we waited out on the freezing cold street with all our luggage. After quite a while, a little van, and a pickup truck pulled up to where we were, loading our luggage in one, and us in the other. It was past ten when we stopped in front of a large, metal door. Opening a little door cut out of the big one, we stepped into the meeting room, where they were having the conference. There were rows of white plastic chairs, and hard, wooden benches. Unloading our luggage in a back room, we realized this is where all of us were to stay. There were large square tick mats made of straw and flour sacks iin a pile off to the side. We layed them all out in a row on the cold, hard cement floor, pulled out our sleeping bags, spreading them out, then putting the thick, musty smelling blankets over top of us. Ben decided to hang up his hammock between two pillars in the meeting room instead of sleeping in the other room with the rest of us. The majority of us slept extremely well. After being on a bus two days, and a night, it's amazing how exhausted you get!

The next morning at six-thirty a brother came in and greeted us cheerfully. We poked our heads out of our cocoons and reached to shake his hand. He reminded us that praver meeting started in a half hour, so we probably should be getting up soon. Most of us rolled right back over until ten minutes before seven. We pulled on our clothes, and walked out to the beginning of a long day. After prayer meeting we had breakfast, a thick corn-meal drink, and a piece of bread. It was decided to read in II Timothy 2 for the Reading Meetings. It is so interesting, 'cause this was the third time we've read that chapter this year, whether it be at a conference, or an assembly meeting. The meeting after lunch, and before dinner was one long one of three hours. It reminded me of being in Bucaramunga, Colombia, and the first two-hour meeting went over, and they ended up just skipping the break, and going straight into the next two-hour meeting.

This conference was really encouraging; especially the love of the people. In the meetings, as well as after so many were SO gracious, and giving all they had to make us comfortable and happy. There was family especially that really encouraged me. One of the main brothers in the assembly had quiite a large family, of which many had gone far from the Lord. But, in the last few years the Lord has really been working, slowly bringing them back, with their families. One of the sons were even baptized there after the conference, along with a young guy and girl. There were of their daughters (who are cousins), especially who were just on fire for the Lord, and their love for Him really showed. We just really need to remember to pray for the rest of their families too. I believe neither of the girls' moms are saved, but they are definitely interested. It was encouraging to hear too, that a guy and a girl were saved one night after a gospel meeting. I don't know whether the brother who goes out and invites people to come in influenced them to enter and listen, or whether they heard the message from the loudspeaker placed right outside of the meeting room, allowing all the neighbors and passer-byers to hear. The young people were encouraging too, ready to sing, or talk about the Lord.

From La Paz, we took the eight hour bus to Cochabamba where we planned on staying for a while. The main purpose of the trip was for mom to be able to rest, and have tests done for her mysterious sickness. Although we had the idea of staying for a while, that didn't end up happening. We arrived Monday night, spent Tuesday resting up, doing wash, catching up on emails, and Ben, Nate, Anna and I went to the school we'd gone to seven years ago, along with Dad and Lydia. Ben found one guy from his class, while one girl from mine was only there picking something up (they all graduated two years ago, so it was pretty much coincidence). We were only there for a while, before going back. The next morning, Dave, Lydia, Cam, Ben and I were on a bus to Oruro, from where we were to catch a train to Villazon, at which point we'd be staying with brethren for the conference there.

It was the first time we were actually traveling by ourselves, to a place where there were no other Americans, and really nobody we really knew, except for the Villarubias, who live in Cochabamba. The bus ride went smoothly, and upon getting to Oruro, we went out to eat with a lady who'd sat next to Dave on the bus, then were almost late for the train. So much for thinking we'd be doing things less at the last moment.

The eighteen hour train-ride was pretty cool. Although it was a little hard to sleep at night, the complimentary breakfast of cafe con leche, crackers, bread, butter, jam, and scrambled eggs made up for it. We snacked on vanilla and chocolate wafers, read our Bibles, talked, wrote in our journals, slept, or just sat there, staring out the window, or sleeping.

Upon arriving in Villazon, it seemed as though brethren began to pop up everywhere. We had bought tickets so late that we were unable to go in the second or third class cars with those that we knew (or we had at least maybe seen before some place, or were known by people we knew from meeting). So when we arrived, and met up with everyone who had been riding the same train, in the other cars, there was quite a group of us. We lugged our stuff down to the meeting room.

The town of Villazon was small, poor, sunny, extremely dry, and either very warm, or very cold. The majority of the houses were made of the mud adobe, some having white plaster covering the walls. Most of the women still wore the traditional clothing; knee-length pleated skirts, three-quarter length sleeved square necked lacy blouses, with a little half-peanut looking hat perched on top of their head, their two long black braids hanging down their backs, tied together with yarn braided into hair. When it was cold they would wear thick stockings, or leg-warmers, along with a blanket tied like a shawl around their shoulders.

We made the rounds greeting every person who was a brother or sister in sight. You had to be especially attentive, because some would only shake your hand, while others would shake your hand, give you a kiss on your cheek while putting their hand on your shoulder, then shake your hand again, while still others just give you a kiss, while patting your upper arm.

After greeting everyone standing anywhere around, the whole group of us who'd arrived kinda just stood there in the entrance of the meeting room not knowing quite what to do next. But, it was all sort of disorganizedly arranged for us to all to stay at a house of a family. There were two rooms, out behind the main house. The whole building was put together with mud adobe, having a tin roof, being supported with thick branches. After walking into the dim, cool room from the bright sunlight, our eyes made little sun-spots around on the cracking, brown walls, randomly having little plug-ins waist-high, and on the hard, cement floor, as well as the corrugated metal roof. Once our eyes adjusted, the straw-tick mats lining both sides of the room, having a isle way in between them, and two rickety, metal beds.

Others coming for the conference were sitting on their mats chatting, meeting again, some after years of being away from eachother. We each threw our bags down on a mat, along with the twenty other people staying in there. Ben, Dave, Cam, me, and Lydia all in a row; our bags separating us from the guys. Men, women, old and young were all together. Mr. and Mrs. Villarubia got one of the beds, while two single ladies from La Paz shared the other. It was kinda comical how we were all kinda just thrown together. We didn't know how the nights were going to be! You do get to know things about people when you're all in the same thing; namely what people are REALLY thinking about when they sleep-talk, or how snores can range from sounding like a train, to a starting car, to someone dragging something over a pile of pebbles. So, while some felt like staying up till like one in the morning, others wanted to get up at four am to take a shower in the bathroom that all twenty of us were sharing, as well as the other room, who probably had a similar amount of people “alojado” there.

The bathroom was another issue. Both the toilet, and the shower (as well as the customary “bude” however it's spelled in French...) were in the same room, so if anyone was taking a shower the line outside the door grew longer and longer waiting for their turn. There was no separation between the main bathroom and the shower, so the faucet, where the water came out to bathe, poured right out onto the floor, getting everything wet, and sometimes even leaking under the door onto the ground outside, making the powdery dust into a mushy mud that was tracked into our room, as well as back into the bathroom. So now the floor is extremely wet, AND muddy. So, naturally not wanting to change in front of everyone where we're sleeping, we have to change in the bathroom. Having nowhere to put the clothes you're not wearing, you have to hold them in one hand, while slipping each article of clothing on carefully with the other hand. It was a challenge to keep any of them from falling. To avoid that risk, we discovered an alternative, and aspired to become almost* professional sleeping-bag changers. It probably looked like quite a struggle watching someone squirming around in the long, black mummy bags, but instead of transforming from a caterpillar to butterfly, the pajamas become a conference outfit, and vuala, we were ready. Another day of at least eight hours of meetings, with three breaks had just begun!

Prayer meeting began at six. We were at least a little late for every one :S. Breakfast, at seven, was a five minute walk from the “local” where the conference was being hosted. It was in a small, dusty, court-yard covered by a blue tarp. Against one wall, made with mud and straw bricks were two large cauldrons, made of metal 50-gallon drums cut in half boiling over red, hot coals. Standing in line, those at the conference waited to be handed their breakfast, consisting of a large mug of tea (or coffee with milk), accompanied by a piece of bread and a bowl of soup. Some brought their own eating utensils, while others borrowed from the local assembly. There were a certain amount of seats, so especially by the third day the majority had to stand eating. It was a good feeling, drinking warm, steaming tea, those brisk, cool, mornings, standing chatting with the others around us.

The first reading meeting (where it was decided we would study Romans 8) started an hour later, the three hours until lunch.

Listening, and trying to concentrate on the doctrine being preached, all in Spanish was mentally exhausting. Even more so for Dave, Cam, and Lydia, who had to pay special attention to every word, then connect the words with the whole thought.

During the breaks we would either walk around, talk, take a nap, or stand in a circle, hitting the volleyball around. Once we walked over the boarder to Argentina, where we white Americans got yelled at for not having any documents, while the Bolivian with us just slipped through without being noticed. Also where Dave and Cam got lost in their taxi the day after arriving in the town, not having any idea how to get anywhere, all the buildings looking the same, and the town being flat. But with the good direction of Cam, they only got to meeting twenty minutes late... while we sat on the edges of our chairs wondering what had happened to them, not knowing what we should do.

By the end of the day, we were all absolutely EXHAUSTED. Gospel went from eight to nine, then after that, the YP would want to do things. The first night we helped tie the tops little long, skinny bags of jellow for the next days snack between meetings. While we tied, we learned Quechua songs, while teaching them what we could in English.

Another night we had a sing in the meeting room, which lasted till like eleven. Then, the last night a bunch went to play “wally”, a type of volleyball in an enclosed room, where you can play off the walls. It was way fun, but staying there till 12 was a little late after having to wake up at 5:30, and having meetings all day.

From Villason, we took a bus with some brothers to Tarija. An assembly with quite a few young people.

We spent an amazingly fun week there, before meeting up with my family in the bus station, less than fifteen minutes before the next bus left to take us to Palpala.

We got to Palpala late Thursday night, or more like early Friday morning, slept a couple hours then went to conference. The house where we were in had two rooms, one for my parents, and the other for us six young people, then other people came some of the nights. We separated the guys on one side of the room, and us girls on the other.

Conference was good. Now, being a really long time since we were there, I don't remember too much....

From that conference, we traveled to Salta where there was going to be a conference the following weekend. Before the conference though, our family, Cam, Lydia and Dave went to a pretty nice little hostel where we spent our last day together. We went out for pizza, then had a wonderful nights sleep. The next day some rode horses, while others swam in a forbidden aqueduct. It all turned out very well. From there we went to the city of Salta, where we spent one more night before Lydia, Cam and Dave left with Bob and Lemmoine for Santiago. From there there were going to bus to Lima, and then Ecuador, where they would separate. Lydia and Dave back to the US, and Cam to Ecuador.

We stayed in Salta, in the sister Ester's house. Eliana, who is twenty-one took us all over Salta, and was really encouraging. Her brother Josue, whose 18 hung out with the boys. The youngest, Estban, was a firecracker. Being like fourteen years younger than Josue, he was practically like an only child. He was wild, but absolutely hilarious.

From Salta, we traveled to Santiago, where we stayed in an apartment that was to be for the mother-in-law of one of the sisters there, but who was to arrive later on. There we had a surprise waiting for us. Dave, Lydia and Cam were still there! They had changed plans and stayed a couple more days before flying to Peru, and Ecuador, which was a lot less complicated. So we got an added blessing, having a couple more days with them. Staying in Santiago was perfect. We were able to be a family for a while, and be able to recoup from running all over the place so fast. Paulina, one of the ladies from the assembly took us all around. She was awesome. Always positive, helping out wherever she could.

Two of the weekends we were there we helped her with the Sunday School work she's doing there in the neighborhood. She is the main one organizing the kids, singing the songs, and getting everything going. It was really fun.

From Chile, we traveled back to Argentina, but instead of going back to Salta, we visited La Plata, where there's an assembly of 300. Walking into meeting you feel like you're in a conference!

But being there we were really encouraged. Every day we usually had at least two invites to go to someone else's house. Tons of more people asked to have us over, but there just wasn't time. And the people there eat at crazy times! We started dinner at 12 a couple of times! Meaning we got home at like 1:30!

We had a day out at a property of the brother Niconor's (in whose house we stayed). A bunch of the people in the assembly brought food, and we had a pot-luck with everyone. Afterward we had a Bible study, then played volleyball, soccer, and a kid brought a bat, so I taught a group of people how to play baseball. I never realized how many rules there are in the game. It was kind of ironic having me teach people to play baseball. I honestly don't know half of what baseball consists of. But they had fun, and that's what counts! I felt bad though, 'cause one time I went to hit the ball, and in my followthrough, I followed through right smack on the side of a kids' head!

But, there was quite a large group of young people there, many of which loved to sing, and pass out tracts.

One girl in particular impressed me. Seven years ago when we were in Bolivia, we heard about a truck full of fruit and vegetables, as well as those going to sell it had rolled, hurting many, and killing a few. Her mom was one of those who died. Eva had to grow up, raising her younger siblings, and is now fifteen. She loves to sing, and go out with the young people, and pass out tracts. One day she invited us to wake up early and go pass out calendars for the new year at the bus and train station.

Although the young people want to please the Lord, there is a lot of discouragment. From both the world, and even in the assembly itself. Please pray for the assembly of La Plata. Especially that the older brothers would know the right way to exhort, but as well encourage the young people. Many of the younger generation have been discouraged and no longer come to the meetings.

I cried on the bus for a half hour leaving that assembly. Both because I know I'm going to miss them so much, and I never know when (or even if) I'll see them again, and too, praying that they would be encouraged to continue in their desire to follow the Lord, and stay strong during the trials. We left there with four more young people. Eliana and Josue who we stayed with in Salta, as well as Dina from there, and Rusmery from La Plata.

The girls are especially encouraging. Whatever opportunity they have to sing, they take it, whether it be walking down the road, sitting on a bus on our way somewhere, or in the house doing clean up. They are also always ready to go pass out tracts and calendars. Such examples!

So, one day in La Plata, we took a day trip to Uruguay, then on Thursday we took an all night bus to Misiones, where we dropped off our luggage at the hotel, then went to Paraguay, passed out tracts all afternoon, before coming back, and spending some time together in the pool. It was so warm, even at eleven at night! The next day we went to the Falls of Iguasu. The widest falls in the world. They were absolutely gorgeous. I don't know if I've ever seen anything so beautiful! We spent the day walking around, looking at the falls, and roasting in the sun.

That evening, our bus left for Brazil. Like always we arrived in the nick of time to hop on the bus. After riding all night once again on the bus, we arrived in the bus terminal, changed, and walked into the meeting room in time for Breaking of Bread. We felt pretty messy to be coming to meeting right after traveling all night on a bus, but it was pretty much the only option we had.

So now we're in Florionopolis, Brazil! Mom and Dad are with Nate and Anna in Danielle's house (Dad's cousin's daughter). Here at the house we all speak a mix of English, Spanish and Portuguese. When we don’t understand what is being said when they say it in Portuguese, Mateus translates to English, then we translate that to Spanish. It’s kinda comical :D