So what are you doing in Bolivia???

This is a question we hear a lot these days.

We have an answer yet we don't at the same time. We are going to be living in the third largest city in Bolivia. It is also the city with the most indigenous population in Bolivia. This makes for an interesting blend of European descent and native Bolivian descent people which definitely influences the culture and language. So we will be learning Spanish with some Quechua(indigenous language)along the way.

Bolivia is the poorest country in South America and because of this many kids are left behind. Children and adolescents make up almost half of the population and so 2.5 million children live in poverty.

We will be working on a team that builds, supports, staffs and works at orphanages. We will help with administration, supporting the staff that are building the orphanages, supporting the house parents (and stepping in when they need a break), leading groups that come down to help the ministry and working on small businesses that will sustain the orphanages. Each orphanage will have around ten children and will be head by a Christian Bolivian couple that will connect the orphanage to the local church. Each orphanage is meant to be like a home where the kids can really feel like they belong. The kids come from many different circumstances but all from difficult situations.

A missionary from Cochabamba, Bolivia that we just met heard we were working at an orphanage there and responded, "Well then don't bring your heart!". I know that it will be hard to hear the stories that these children carry with them but I cannot wait to just hug them and show them that they still have a Father that loves them immensely.