El Día de Los Niños by Dominic Pierri

    This blog is specifically written for the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, (great) grandpas, (great) grandmas, friends, and acquaintances of the SHYG students currently on the Bolivia mission trip of 2014. If you do not possess one or more of these titles, then you can stop reading this and get back to BuzzFeed or Yahoo News or whatever. I mean, unless you really want to… I guess it could be an interesting read. It is more legitimate than most BuzzFeed articles after all.

    Anyways, I know you’ve all been on the edge of your seats waiting for the greatly anticipated blog of Dominic Pierri. Don’t worry. Here it is. Let’s talk about today.

    The team woke up earlier than we have ever woken up this morning. We got out of bed at 6:00 in the morning (a time of day I didn’t know existed) and ate breakfast at 6:30. Toast, granola, and the most exquisite scrambled eggs prepared by the great and mighty Dan Westman.

    I guess you could call today “El Día de Los Niños.” We spent the first half of el día at the work site hanging out and making balloon animals with a huge group of Compassion International niños. Bolivian babies are beyond adorable. While that was going on, there was a designated prayer room in the building where the students sat in solitude praying for major impact on the non-Christian Bolivians and the families we were serving. Prayers were lifted up for the doctors and dentists on site as well.

    A lot of other stuff happened, but Linzy told me I don’t have any more time. Thanks Linzy for leaving people in the dark. Time to go eat steak with the team and the Bolivian workers we built with. If you want to hear more about what happened today, check out David’s blog post.

     I love you, Mrs. White! I miss you so much!

- Dominic Pierri

Hard Work = Steak Dinner by David White

    Today was another incredible day in Cochabamba Bolivia. Let me re-phrase that.... Today was an incredibly long day in Bolivia. This morning, everyone was told to be out of bed at 6:00 AM this morning to begin our day. We all ate as many eggs and toast as we could, so we would be ready to face our first and biggest task.
    Today was the day when anyone in the community could come and hear about Jesus, receive medical care, and receive dental care. Many of us got to be "dental assistants" or "medical assistants" but most of the time we were entertaining the kids with music, balloon animals, and of course FÚTBOL. The experience of seeing the condition that many people were in brought sadness and gratitude. We are so lucky to have the care and medicine available to us... wow. Some people may even be classified as dentists now, because they got to pull a few teeth.

    We then had a VBS activity for a kids club a few minutes away from the clinic where music, games, the gospel, and crafts were shared with the children. This incredible day full of hard work finally came to an end after cleaning up the clinic and sharing laughs.

We now are at the house preparing for an incredible steak dinner in Bolivia with all the team the workers and the Holman family. Dominic and I were to hungry so we hustled down the Tienda to grab a coke and some wafers.

    Shout out to Mrs. P! You're such a blessing, and I love you so much! <3
    I can't wait to see you Mom and Dad and Sarah and Toph, I miss you guys a lot and I love you!!! I'm doing great, I just broke a couple fingers and toes [Linzy insert: This is NOT true. No broken bones and no injuries!]. ;) Christopher you better be there to pick me up.

- David White

Musings by Clint Park

As the cool, crisp Bolivian air beat upon the Bolivian team member Clint, he was awoken by an unknown being.

Now that would be a cool way to explain my adventures in Bolivia, but Dan and Linzy said I had to be "real" and explain "actual" events. So I will do that. 

Today was our last day of building. We were slightly tired from the events of yesterday. (VBS with kids, and downing six pieces of pizza), we were still able to get up, and do our daily devotionals. I went to my normal spot on Ben's bed, (sorry Ben) and read my chapters in Mark for that day. As usual, I went ahead and ended up reading into the next days devotional.

As we headed out to the work site, I started to notice that the church started to take shape. It has been only a week and already the church is near completion. I also found out how easily I can get distracted. Especially like when writing this blog. The rest of the day followed of us laying brick, throwing brick, catching brick, using a pulley to bring brick up to the second floor... The rest just followed like so.

As the day settled, we circled with the Bolivians and with thanks and prayer, we ended our last day of building. I will never forget the people I met here, and with the progress we have made in only a few days, this building will be completed in no time. I am sure God will have amazing plans for this building.

I'm not sure who will be reading this blog, but shout out to my parents, brothers Calvin and Colin, my fish, friends, family, and doughnut that I am hoping to eat when I get back. 

Ciao,

Clint Park

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Building Complete! by Ally Lee

Today was our last day of building. By this time we were all quite tired of laying brick; however, it was all worthwhile knowing that the Bolivians would be using the space between the walls as a church for the neighborhood residents to attend. where the church would meet before was a small yard, now more people can be drawn to God.

After building for the week was finished several of us play futbol with the Bolivians. Then gathered around for a circle of prayer and thank you's. During this time I was brought back to last year's circle and how next year I will just be a past circle.

This country has taken hold of my heart in the last year and this was the beginning of the good-byes. Even the children could sense it after the gathering we walked back to the bus and I was swarmed with hugs of children asking if I would see them again.

Hello Aunty, Adam, and Dad. I want to let you all know I miss you and to Adam I cannot explain how proud I am of you for your completion of Teen Challenge. I wish you the best in Guatemala and hope you experience a new world and love on those children.

Yours Truly,
Ally Lee

Immeasurable Love by Sophia Healey

Today was impactful in a way that I would never have been able to predict. What we did today was spend time with the kids that live in the town we are building in. It especially hit me today that these people are really living off of close to nothing. At first that made me feel discouraged, that no amount of work on this trip will make a difference in the lives of these people, but then I reminded myself that solely me, Sophia Healey, making a difference in these people's lives, isn't the point of this trip to begin with. The goal of this trip is to let the Lord impact and change these lives. Me being here is not for their benefit because I'm helping build, wash people's children, and assist doctors, those are all good things to do, service is never a wasted activity. What I really felt in my heart today was that what I wanted to leave these people with is something that can never be taken from them, the incredible, and immeasurable love of God. 

So today, when Dominic, Clint, Allison and I were singing songs to the children, I prayed that God would shine through me, touching the hearts of every single person that heard the words we were singing. When somebody's eyes met mine, I prayed that, even for just that second, the Holy Spirit was felt in that small connection. What I think about looking back on today, is that I hope, and pray, that those who don't know the Lord, now know of Him and wish to seek Him, and for those who do know of Him, seek Him with a stronger passion.

Side note; we got the opportunity to buy Bolivianitas today (the beautiful jewel of Bolivia, half purple half yellow) and I bought a cool hat ;)

Love you Mom and Dad, hope all is well at home, hugs and kisses for you and the dogs!

- Sophia Healey

Special Treatment, More Bricks, and Other Adventures by Cassidy Lenstrom

So yesterday was the first of many days to come that did not go according to our original schedule. Two nights ago it was announced that Thursday (today), a day that was supposed to be just another work day, would now include a VBS for up to 300 hundred kids. Three. Hundred. Kids. This enormous number is both a blessing and a curse because not only do we have the privilege of sharing the Gospel with so many children, we also have to provide crafts, games, and lessons for all of them. So being a member of the craft team (one who really is a fan of planning and perfectionism), I had to help re-envision all of the crafts that we had so carefully planned basically start from scratch. While this was hard for me to stray so much from the plan and come up with something completely different, this meant that Emily, Clare, Marlee, Linzy, and I would get to go with Joe on a crafts supply gathering adventure for the whole morning while everyone else went back to the worksite.

The first store we went to was this Bolivian craft store place, pretty similar to one you might find in America, except for the Spanish speaking and all. We got some stuff there and then went to a wonderful store that it is essentially the Bolivian version of Walmart. Not only did we gather some essential supplies for our new crafts, we also found (and purchased) a wealth of chocolate and candy that we have been deprived of for the past couple of days. I even bought some amazing Bolivian chocolate to share with my family (get excited guys). After this lovely stop, we started making our way towards La Cancha, the big market place we attended earlier in the week, to buy the remaining supplies. This endeavor became much more difficult than we had planned because we encountered at least three blockades in the streets on the way. This meant that the streets were blocked off by protestors so we had to back up the congested Bolivian roads, take a detour, then park and walk (some very impressive driving on Joe's part, I must say). Eventually we found our way to La Cancha and spent a good hour or two wandering through the enormous market trying to find brown paper bags and simple colored fabric. Its amazing how in the States it would take ten minutes to run to Walmart and buy 300 brown paper bags but here the biggest market in South America didn't even have what we're looking for. Anyway, we ended up going to lunch at this great chicken place that was like six stories tall and had really classy bathrooms where I learned a lot about Joe Holman's childhood, backstory, and why he came to Bolivia. I won't get into detail about it here but let's just say his testimony is extremely inspirational and really exemplifies God's power to change lives.

After our delicious lunch, we returned to the worksite to meet up with the rest of the team. Part of me felt bad because they were laying bricks all day in the hot sun while we were shopping and eating chocolate, but at the same time I was grateful for the culture experience that we got to enjoy. Once we got back to the worksite it was hard to be productive again (well for me at least) but later that afternoon Joe started taking groups of us for rides around the neighborhood we were building in. I went on this little car tour last year so I didn't expect this one to be much different, but I was wrong. Seeing the houses (or lack there of) of the families in the community we are building this church for was completely eye opening. Families and extended families live in tiny brick huts with a slab of metal on top and go to the bathroom in a hole outside with a curtain in front of it, if they're lucky. They hardly have enough to eat, barely make enough money to survive, and don't have running water or electricity, but yet they are still so joyful and giving. Every day on the worksite they've cooked us a full blown authentic Bolivian meal, when they hardly have enough to feed themselves. Going on this tour gave me a new perspective on why we are building this church. All of our hard, sweaty, brick-laying work is going towards building a place where all of the underprivileged people in this community can come to learn about Christ and for me to even play a small part in making that happen makes all of the hard work worth it. Please pray for the VBS today and that all would go according to God's plan so that we can make an impact on these kids lives. I am so blessed to be in such a beautiful country with amazing people serving God.

- Cassidy Lenstrom

P.S. Mom and Dad: My back is doing just fine. I am wearing my brace on the worksite and doing my exercises twice a day. I miss and love you, but things are great here. I'll see you soon!! Tell Ry and Gus I say hi :)

Linzy Made Me Do This by Grace Carollo

       It was our third day on the worksite. Our third day laying bricks, our third day waking up before 7:00, our third day with sad attempts at Spanglish, our third day coming home with dirt, snot, and concrete stuck to our bodies, and our third day growing closer to the Lord and in fellowship with our team. Through the brick laying and concrete mixing with the members of our team, along with the Holman family, we are able to learn and grow in mistakes, triumphs, and mediocrely built church walls to create a group of teenagers brought together into an inseparable bond because of the love of Christ.

       The Holman family has brought so much light into the work we are doing here in Bolivia. Hope, Joy, Patience, and Mercy never fail to bring a smile to my face regardless of the strength draining from my body after a long day on site. I was worried about going through babysitting withdrawal, however these kids make that sacrifice much easier (Mom, tell Josie I say hi). Faith is is constantly encouraging me in my walk with God, asking challenging questions and trusting me with her own experiences. Without constant encouragement from David and Josh on the worksite when they are delivering concrete I am very doubtful we would have made half the progress we have. Caleb and Ben bring laughter, joy, and good music into any dry situation without any doubt or hesitation (currently blasting Taylor Swift and country music).

       Had I not been so stubborn Mom, those protein bars we fought about packing would have been greatly appreciated as we are much more cultured to Bolivian meals than I remembered from last year. Twelve out of the last fourteen meals consisted of rice, potatoes, or toast. Marlee lent me a protein bar for dinner today and I think I doubled my protein intake in just that meal. Dad, you told me to say hi in the blog: Hey. Danny you will also be proud that I chewed coca leaves for the first time today. PJ and Sarah I'm not sure what to say and I doubt you're reading this but I got you guys presents.

       As much as I'm anticipating sharing stories when I get home and having a team reunion, most likely to be on August 5th, I do not want to leave this place. Bolivia and the people here hold a special place in my heart that cannot be fulfilled anywhere else.


-Grace Carollo

PS: Somebody please feed Riley.

The Day I Went Pro by Richard Melville

We had a pretty busy Tuesday. We woke up on the crack of dawn (in other words, 7am) and were out of the house by 9:30 to head to the worksite. The building is coming on very nicely, and we all had different individual jobs that kept us busy. I was filling in the cracks between bricks with concrete up until lunch.

For lunch we had this Bolivian specialty which the Bolivians cooked for us. It was called Silpancha. It was rice, potatoes, and steak with a fried egg on. It was the best meal I have had in this country so far. It was made even more special because of the poverty of the people cooking for us, and how expensive that meal would have cost. The selflessness of the Bolivians we work with is super humbling and really cool to see.

The high point of the day came after lunch. A soccer game between the Bolivians and the rest of us. The game ended 3-3 but we lost because it came down to "next goal wins" and they scored first. I firmly believe that I launched my professional soccer career today.

After lunch we got back to work and were done by 4:30 at which point we came home. For dinner we had pizza. However this wasn't standard pizza; its the size of a table and it had no tomato paste on it. I hugely enjoyed it.

A lot of the team were excited about today because I promised that I would do my American accent on Tuesday just to get people to stop asking me to do it. No one forgot however and I had to do it at lunch time. I sounded a little bit robotic, but hopefully I didn't disappoint.

- Richard Melville

P.s. I would like to extend greetings to my family. Hello.

A Gift From God by Ben Laedlein

So as my title has stated, that is exactly what this trip has been to me so far. I wanted to come into this trip with a different mind set and last year since this is my second year here in Bolivia. I knew that since I had already had the new and interesting phase of a new place, I really wanted to be able to experience the poverty and lifestyle that the people here live. So far, it has hit me pretty hard. God has really opened my eyes on this trip. He has shown me many things in my life that I need to focus on and the possible ways to work through them.

It has been pretty amazing to see the exact same place as last year except through new eyes. Seeing the building that we started last year by digging trenches all day, near completion, is an amazing feeling. We have mixed nearly enough batches of concrete to build another Empire State Building! Tomorrow we move onto day 6 according to Dan, but say its really only day 5. This will include lots more concrete and the walls getting higher and higher. We still have many more days to come and I know that God will continue work through each and everyone of us!

- Ben Laedlein

P.S. Hello to all of my family that will be reading this. I love you all very much!

Worst Mission Trip Ever by Allison Bolman

     Alright. Everyone else is going to sugar coat this because all of you paid a lot of money to get us here but I'm going to tell you the cold hard truth. There is so much physical activity on this trip. So much. I'm sure you all know that we climbed a MOUNTAIN the first full day we were here and today we threw bricks at each other for hours. Ridiculous. I mean, we did start to build the second floor of a building last year's team worked on, and we did have a lot of fun working together as a team, and true it was pretty cool seeing El Christo at the top of a mountain knowing I worked hard to get there instead of taking the lift up (seriously, why wasn't that an option?).

     Okay, so maybe the trip doesn't completely suck.

     Last night I got to share some things with the girls in my room and it was really cool knowing that I could trust them after only a few days together. This entire team is so amazing and I cannot imagine finishing the week without a single member of my new family.

      I'm leading worship while I'm here, which is simultaneously awesome and terrifying. But I couldn't have asked for a better setting than this beautiful country with these incredible team members who are so encouraging and joyful.

      I picked up so many bricks today, and I now look like Scarlett Johansson (okay, not really, but theres three more days of building so I've got time).

     Sure, I miss my family like crazy, (Mom-manicures as soon as I get home, these hands weren't made for building. Dad-Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Blog, lets watch it. Chad- lets watch that movie that everyone except our family has seen. Matthew-lets both eat food in the kitchen at the same time and say hi to each other and then nothing else. Derek-you're not reading this, hope your tour's going well.) but I'm having a fantastic time here regardless of all the energy I've exerted.

       So, maybe this mission trip is actually really great sort of alright.

-- Allison Bolman

The Lord is in Bolivia by Carter Fricano

      Sometimes it can be difficult to feel God's presence, and it can be difficult to even realize that He is with us at times. That was not the case today.

      Today was our first day of building, and much to the joy of returning Bolivia Trip fellas, we didn't have to dig any trenches.  We began our day by moving bricks.  Lots of bricks.  2 hours went by and not even half of the bricks were moved up to the second floor of the building.  But despite the disappointment, it was clear that our team has a ton of chemistry.  We eventually began laying bricks and, by the end of the day, we completed almost half of an entire wall and a quarter of 4 other walls.  Not bad.

      Including our ultimate triumph on the work site, God showed His face to all of us today.  Today we met a man named Samuel.  Samuel aspires to be a pastor with all of his heart, but a freak car accident cost him the use of his legs.  While we took a break from working, Samuel's family and our whole team gathered around him and prayed.  It was extremely powerful to feel God's presence as we prayed that Samuel may fulfill his aspiration to serve Him and bring others closer to Him.

      The Lord didn't stop there.  Tonight during our team time, we had a time of worship and two team members shared their testimonies.  Worship, in short terms, was powerful, and we grew closer to our team when our two friends shared about their lives.  God has worked in such magnificent ways on this trip through us to show His love to the Bolivian people, serve them in a practical and huge way, and also to bring us closer to Him...

And its only Monday.

- Carter Fricano

Adventures in La Cancha by Emily Erickson

      Well, it has been another amazing day in the beautiful country of Bolivia! Today we woke up early and got to experience what a real Bolivian service is like. We sang and clapped our hands to the upbeat worship music and performed a skit demonstrating Jesus' overwhelming love for us. Jesus has power to free us from our sinful burdens and to purify our hearts. We were so lucky to be able to communicate this to the congregation through our skit.

       Later in the day we adventured into La Cancha, the largest outdoor market in all of South and North America. The colors and scents of all the food and goods being sold were overwhelming and beautiful all at the same time. Just wandering around the aisles and taking in the different culture made this part of the day a huge highlight.

      The team is growing closer and closer every day and I am so grateful to be able to spend time in such  a beautiful country with such beautiful people. We are already becoming the best of friends and the next week is sure to be life changing.

      Tomorrow we begin our first day of construction. Our goal is to have the entire second floor of the church/community center completed before we head home next week. Please continue to pray for us as we begin our next challenging adventure in Bolivia.

Sending lots of love back to our families. (:

Emily Erickson