Day 90 - My Friends Take Me to the Mountains

My Friends Take Me to the Mountains

After our parade in the baking sun, I met some friends from school, Fernando and Mariela, and their daughter, Michaela.  A few weeks before they had offered to take me to visit their second home in Samaipata, a town in the mountains.  Also going were Inoshka and Martha, two of the school’s Spanish teachers, and Shirley, a lady volunteering at the school this year.  At the last moment, they invited Rebecca and her boys Matias and Marcos.

We drove down the road to Fernando and Mariela’s house in La Guardia, a little town just west of Santa Cruz, where we changed from our parade clothes into jeans and t-shirts.  We bought some snacks at the La Guardia market, then drove another 20 minutes down the same road to El Torno, where Rebecca lives.  It was the spur of the moment for her to go with us, so she packed and grabbed her two boys.  Marcos was sitting with me in the back seat.  About half of the way he slept, but the other half he told stories about where he had been, including to places he could never have been to.  He is only four, so has a vivid, if not always honest imagination.

La Guardia

Honey seller at La Guardia

Rebecca's fruit trees

The flat lands of Santa Cruz, quickly gave way to the hills on the farthest eastern edge of the Andes.  Soon it was twisting and winding through these hills and the temperature dropped as we got higher and higher.  It rained for much of the drive and the rain washed the smoke out of the sky.  Santa Cruz this time of year is covered in smoke from fires in the countryside, and the city sometimes, trying to burn debris of fields so they can start growing new crops.  Soon the smoke was behind us.

We soon hit the little town of Samaipata.  I will write a separate blog on the town, but to introduce you to the setting, Samaipata is a small town that looks very colonial.  Everything is old.  Flowers are blooming everywhere.  The climate here is perfect.   It rarely gets about the mid-80s and rarely freezes.  Nights are cold and days are comfortable.  The weather makes it the perfect place to grow flowers, vegetables, fruit trees, and grape vines. 

You can see into my room

Fernando and Mariela’s house is beautiful.  They have plans for its future, including renting out space for the weekends, and a few other ideas when they decide to retire.  It is a very typical Bolivian house of the past, with a garden in the middle, an open air living area, and several bedrooms and bathrooms on the other side of the garden.  Yes, my bedroom was across the garden, meaning I had to walk outside to go from the kitchen to my bedroom.

We had a simple meal, walked around the plaza in the rain, and bought an ice cream.  When we came back we had a time of prayer and sharing.  These three ladies, Mariela, Martha, and Inoshka, believe in prayer.  They prayed for each other, the school, and the new teachers struggling to learn the culture and language of Bolivia.  They asked me to give my testimony of how I came to Bolivia.  I did not know it would make me cry, but the Holy Spirit was present.  When He is there, things happen you don’t expect. 

Fernando fell asleep early, as did the kids, but the rest of us stayed awake till 1:00.  Well, at least I stayed awake until 1:00.  I later found out some of the ladies were up till 2:30. What did we do all that time?  We told stories, we laughed, we tried to figure out Martha’s middle name.  It is a beautiful name, but I promised I would not say it.  I laughed so much.  I felt at home, with family.

Our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with joyful songs.  The Lord has done spectacular things for us.  We are overjoyed!  Psalm 126.

I will do another blog I said about Samaipata, and I will have to do another blog about the Inca ruins, but most of Saturday was taken up with being a tourist, talking with Shirley or Martha while walking the 7K of the Inca ruins, and enjoying the beauty of Samaipata.  Inoshka, a Russian name for a beautiful Bolivian lady, made a delicious lunch.  Before I knew it, I was in a taxi heading back to Santa Cruz with Rebecca and Shirley, and Rebecca’s two boys.  It was too short of a weekend, but one filled with memories.

I stole this picture from Fernando, since he was in none of the pictures because he was always taking pictures.

Even though I will see them all on Monday at school, the goodbyes felt like goodbyes to family.  My Bolivian family grew this weekend with seven new members. 

Let me quote a line of a song to explain to you what Bolivia does to you.

“Viva Santa Cruz, bella tierra de mi Corazon.” (Long live Santa Cruz, beautiful land of my heart)

It enters your heart and becomes part of you.  Yes, this poverty stricken little country that will never be great in the eyes of the world, changes your heart.  Bolivia, you will ever be in my heart.  Thank you God, for choosing me to be sent here.

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The Spartan Sisters