Hey Guys!
It’s hard to believe but four weeks ago this morning I arrived in Bolivia! So many different things have happened since I arrived, and I finally feel like I’m about settled in and can tell you about my life/routine here.
But first I’d like to tell you about the kids I’m taking care of. There are three of them at the moment- Esperanza, a little girl who is 11 months old, and Lucas and Diego, both who are about a year and a half. Esperanza has cleft lip and pallet and also a whole in her heart, which makes it impossible for her to grow. She is only the size of a new born. The condition she’s in is truly heart breaking, but she’s already made serious improvements in health since arriving here a week and a half ago, and we should find out Monday if she’s able to undergo surgery and from there we will go ahead and see when we can get her in for that! The two little boys each have HIV, but are both pretty healthy. The government agency, or prefectura, was supposed to come get them to take them for a doctor appointment to make sure they’re doing alright, but that hasn’t happened yet, so once things are in order for the little girl we will probably take them in and see how they’re doing.
So, that’s a little bit about the kids I’m working with, and here’s what a typical day looks like for me: I come downstairs at a little before 8:00 am to start a 24 hour shift. At this time the kids are usually eating breakfast and taking meds, so I give a hand in doing this and take a few minutes to find out how the kids did the night before or find out if there’s anything else I ought to be aware of at that time. After breakfast we usually give the kids baths and then get them dressed and covered in bug spray to go play – the mosquitos are awful here! Sometimes we’ll spend time playing outside with their tricycles, or else go inside and play with blocks or Elmo or puzzles or whatever else we can find out of the giant tub of toys. At 10:00 or so we give them a snack and at noon we have lunch. After lunch the kids take a nap for about an hour, and during this time we do a little cleaning- sweep, mop, fold laundry, etc. Once finished we get the kids up and do some more playing. At around 4:30 they have a snack, and then at 6 or 7 they have supper. Then, their favorite time of day is here- bed time! They boys are usually asleep by around 8, and then Gabby, the lady working the day shift, leaves me to stay the night. The boys don’t give me much trouble, but I do have to wake up every hour and a half to four hours (wide range of time, I know) to feed Esperanza or change a diaper or whatever else. No day looks quite the same of course, but I’d say this is pretty typical. I have also gone a few times to things like doctor appointments and to the prefectura as we work with them to get this little girl the surgery she needs. So, the following morning I get done at 8am or a little after and go back and get some sleep. Since the other gal on the 24 hour shift is going to school I also work on my day off from 6:30 to 10:30, which doesn’t leave me a lot of free time, but next week we’ll have another girl- Evelyn- coming to do a 24 hour shift, and then Maria Elena, who’s on that shift now, will be on the day shift with Gabby. And then I’ll be able to have a slightly less stressful schedule.
How am I doing so far- I’d say overall I’m doing pretty well! I’m tired a lot, since I’m not used to being up so much at night, and the job is pretty draining emotionally as well, but the Lord is giving me strength, which I’m incredibly grateful for! It hurts my heart to know that there’s a need for places like this, and that these kids get abandoned, but I’m also so glad then that there are places like this for kids to go to and receive the love and attention they need! Praise God. Yes, I’ve had a fair number of ups and downs, but I’m quite content with where I’m at and I feel like I’m learning a lot. Thanks so much to each and every one of you who has been supporting me financially and prayerfully. You each mean so much to me, for real.
But first I’d like to tell you about the kids I’m taking care of. There are three of them at the moment- Esperanza, a little girl who is 11 months old, and Lucas and Diego, both who are about a year and a half. Esperanza has cleft lip and pallet and also a whole in her heart, which makes it impossible for her to grow. She is only the size of a new born. The condition she’s in is truly heart breaking, but she’s already made serious improvements in health since arriving here a week and a half ago, and we should find out Monday if she’s able to undergo surgery and from there we will go ahead and see when we can get her in for that! The two little boys each have HIV, but are both pretty healthy. The government agency, or prefectura, was supposed to come get them to take them for a doctor appointment to make sure they’re doing alright, but that hasn’t happened yet, so once things are in order for the little girl we will probably take them in and see how they’re doing.
So, that’s a little bit about the kids I’m working with, and here’s what a typical day looks like for me: I come downstairs at a little before 8:00 am to start a 24 hour shift. At this time the kids are usually eating breakfast and taking meds, so I give a hand in doing this and take a few minutes to find out how the kids did the night before or find out if there’s anything else I ought to be aware of at that time. After breakfast we usually give the kids baths and then get them dressed and covered in bug spray to go play – the mosquitos are awful here! Sometimes we’ll spend time playing outside with their tricycles, or else go inside and play with blocks or Elmo or puzzles or whatever else we can find out of the giant tub of toys. At 10:00 or so we give them a snack and at noon we have lunch. After lunch the kids take a nap for about an hour, and during this time we do a little cleaning- sweep, mop, fold laundry, etc. Once finished we get the kids up and do some more playing. At around 4:30 they have a snack, and then at 6 or 7 they have supper. Then, their favorite time of day is here- bed time! They boys are usually asleep by around 8, and then Gabby, the lady working the day shift, leaves me to stay the night. The boys don’t give me much trouble, but I do have to wake up every hour and a half to four hours (wide range of time, I know) to feed Esperanza or change a diaper or whatever else. No day looks quite the same of course, but I’d say this is pretty typical. I have also gone a few times to things like doctor appointments and to the prefectura as we work with them to get this little girl the surgery she needs. So, the following morning I get done at 8am or a little after and go back and get some sleep. Since the other gal on the 24 hour shift is going to school I also work on my day off from 6:30 to 10:30, which doesn’t leave me a lot of free time, but next week we’ll have another girl- Evelyn- coming to do a 24 hour shift, and then Maria Elena, who’s on that shift now, will be on the day shift with Gabby. And then I’ll be able to have a slightly less stressful schedule.
How am I doing so far- I’d say overall I’m doing pretty well! I’m tired a lot, since I’m not used to being up so much at night, and the job is pretty draining emotionally as well, but the Lord is giving me strength, which I’m incredibly grateful for! It hurts my heart to know that there’s a need for places like this, and that these kids get abandoned, but I’m also so glad then that there are places like this for kids to go to and receive the love and attention they need! Praise God. Yes, I’ve had a fair number of ups and downs, but I’m quite content with where I’m at and I feel like I’m learning a lot. Thanks so much to each and every one of you who has been supporting me financially and prayerfully. You each mean so much to me, for real.
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