God's Taxi

Another week at Familia Feliz! The days seem long, but honestly the weeks fly by. For the kids, the days consist of school in the morning, work for the older ones in the afternoon, and homework and playing in the yard in the evening. For me, I give medications as needed in the morning and treat any injuries that may happen throughout the day. I then find time to chart any treatments that I have done, here and there throughout the day. If I have time, I like to help various houses with cooking meals, but I have not found much time for that this week. The kids have been fairly healthy and the fever bug that was going around is finally dying out, with the exception of it hitting the SMs this week. There will always be the out-of-the-norm injuries, and this week, it was one of the girls who stepped on a nail while barefoot. Luckily, she had her tetanus shot, and all that was needed was a good cleaning and bandaging with some topical antibiotic. Another adventure this week, was taking one of the older girls to the dentist.

Ariana, one of the girls from Las Lila’s (the older girls’ house), had been complaining of tooth pain for about a week, and I had been giving her something for pain in the evenings so she could sleep, but I could tell it was getting too much for her. I ended up having to take her to the dentist twice, and on both trips, I saw how God really sends answers to prayer. On the first trip, we left in the morning. The Ariana and I began our wait for a taxi around 8:45 am. We waited and waited, decided to walk down the road a little, and waited some more. As we waited, the sun got stronger, and it began getting hotter. I then decided to call my mom, as I try to talk to her every day, and it would help pass the time. We talked for a while, and as she was getting ready to hang up, she asked if I had prayed yet for a taxi. I was a little embarrassed to answer her that it had not even crossed my mind. So, before hanging up the phone, my mom, Ariana, and I prayed for a taxi to pass by soon. By the time we finished praying and I hung up the phone, it had been about an hour since we had begun our wait for a taxi. But now I trusted that God would send someone soon. As we continued our wait, an older man began walking towards us. As he got closer, I sent up a silent prayer for safety on this trip into town. He then approached me and held out his hand as if to greet me. I was hesitant, as we were on the side of the road and the only others nearby were the passing cars. It felt awkward, so I reluctantly shook his hand. To my surprise and concern, he did not let go of my hand after shaking it. He mumbled something and asked where I was from and if i lived nearby. I answered that I lived a little up the road, trying to end any form of a conversation. I then tried to smile and pull my hand away, while saying goodbye. But he seemed determined not to let go. He kept on mumbling words that I could not comprehend. I then turned my shoulder towards him, and yet again tried to pull my hand away. Finally, he let go. Ariana and I then began walking away, and the man too walked off in the opposite direction. I let up yet another prayer, this time of thanksgiving, for keeping us safe. Just moments after this odd interaction, a taxi approached and picked us up, and even charged half of what is normally charged to go into town. Again, I let up a prayer of thanksgiving for the answers to prayer God had provided within minutes of each other. I was reminded about how important prayer is. This experience made me wonder how many times I forget to pray for things because they don’t seem that important. But God has endless blessings waiting for us, we only have to ask. I found a good reminder of this in Philippians 4:6-7 which says, “do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I am glad to say that the I rest of the trip into town and to the dentist went smoothly, and we made it safely back to Familia Feliz. A few days later, Ariana and I had to return into town for a follow up appointment. This time I remember to pray for safety and to find a ride into town. This time, minutes after we walked out of the gate of Familia Feliz, a car passed by who happened to be the son of a woman who lived across the street. He was visiting his mom from Milan, Italy, and offered us a free ride in since he knew about Familia Feliz. I continue to count my blessings here in Bolivia.

Unfortunately, between these trips into town, taking care of sick kids, and being in a new environment overall, my energy and immune system have been cut down drastically. This week has been a bit more difficult than in the past. I have been sick for a little over a week now. I've dealt with some of the worst headaches, mild dehydration, and fevers. I think I am starting to get better. But for some reason I seem to have good davs where I think I am better, immediately followed by bad days. I am currently writing this between naps, and I am trying to rest on my day off. Therefore, I do not have a lot to write about this week, but I am so thankful for all of you who read and continually pray for me and my mission group.