On August 4th, I boarded a night bus to Santa Cruz, leaving beind my Bolivian home for the past year, leaving behind 60 girls whom I love more than I have ever loved anyone before, leaving my site partner and our amazing German volunteer susanne to continue, leaving behind 3 sisters whom I have grown to admire.
The weekend before they said our monthly Mass in my honor and spent Sunday sharing a meal together in the first house, thanking me for my time of service with kind words, blessings, and traditional Bolivian dances by the beautiful girls and eating a great dinner of api and bunuelos for dinner. I spent my previous day off and a little more time working on an amazing slide show if pics of all we have done this year together and various events and passed around popcorn Angela and I made after Mass. The slide show was a hit with the girls with more giggles than sadness. This is the type of despedida I hoped for (ok I admit that I did tear up a bit before lunch) I even wrote a message to the girls and sisters and read it to them to thank them for all they have done and for the love they have shown me all year. In return, the sisters brought me a couple bolivian gifts.
In just 5 weeks, I will be making my way back to Bolivia and I know I will be able to visit my girls, so why is it so hard to say goodbye? We talk a lot about the pure love, love of a child, unconditional, paitent and forgiving of all little faults. This is the way I have loved these girls, even the most caprichosious 5 year old, who tries my patience and that of my co volunteers, we love them all just as much. This is the way God loves us, why is it so hard for us to accept that and yet so easy to forget.
"When one chapter in life comes to an end, another one begins"
God has taken me all over the world to teach me, allow me to see, allow me to witness and help others find Christ. Some learn in the comfort of their own home, some learn by moving down the street or even in the slums and taking care of "the poorest of the poor," others serve as volunteers, we see a need and instead of waiting for someone else to come along, fill it (Just like Sor en the DR). So many ways, so many paths and opportunities that God puts in front of us, the point is to grab these opportunities. Sometimes it feels like candy being dangled in front of a child who is not supposed to eat it; when we try to snatch it and gobble up too much, we get sick...or God pulls it away, out of our grasp. " Other times He lets us take the bait, makes it impossible for us to ignore it, moves us just a little bit outside our comforts and stretches us in all sorts of ways we never thought possible.
Up until the last minute I was chatting with God to make sure that I had made the right decision. I was told " step aside, I have qualified loving women to take care of your girls just like I had sent others before you." I am needed elsewhere and although it hurts and when my time is through I will have to go through this pain all over again, I know it is best for me and for the girls. I am a little nervous about what God will tell me throughout this 2nd year on mission, but I just need to get pumped, and fully trust that He knows exactly what He is doing in my life and I hope you do the same.
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