Bolivia 2013

So over the summer I had the opportunity to spend three weeks in Bolivia for service. It was a Humanitarian EFY and was the experience of a lifetime. We first went to Peru and visited Machu Picchu. We hiked up Wayna Picchu, which is the super tall mountain next to Machu Picchu that also has ruins on it, but has an amazing view of the Machu Picchu below. We then went to Bolivia, where we stayed in a hostel, and spent most of our time building a school with brick and mortar (also laying the foundation with dirt that we dug ourselves. It was really fun getting to see the kids who were also in school in the small school building/run down house they were using. We got to teach them English (by the end of the 3 weeks they all knew the basic greetings, numbers, colors, etc). On rainy days we visited the Old Folks home (which had terrible living standards). We were also able to experience the houses of some of the poorest people whose living conditions were astonishing. I have tons of photos from the experience so I'm just going to post some of my favorites.

Bus rides were a long, every day thing to get where we needed to go....

Lots of traveling = need to catch up on sleep whenever possible. Me trying to sleep at the airport.

Yes, we went to church every Wednesday and Saturday. Most of it was in Spanish. On Wednesdays we played soccer. 

Playing soccer with my favorite.

Our fourth of July party.

And... Finally... Souvenir Shopping.

Through service, we not only help others but we help ourselves. We grow as people, developing our love for humanity and strengthening our own testimonies. We increase our own gratitude for the things we have. I remember when I first came back from Bolivia, every little thing stood out to me. Every single little detail in our lives is such a blessing, and we are so lucky to be born in the situations we were born in.