Love and Trust // Katie Pearson

Hi everyone! After a great morning of serving God by working together to lay bricks at the church/community center and a house just up the road, as well as a solid time then trying to wash the cement out of our hair and off our arms, we headed over to an orphanage for another VBS. Sunny blue skies and about 70 degrees, the night was once again absolutely perfect. Walking into the orphanage was very different that I had expected. Through the gates we could hear laughing and shouting, but didn't see any kids until we came around the back to active games of no-net volleyball and of course, soccer.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting the overwhelming amount energy and excitement that greeted us right from the beginning. You could see how close the kids all were, all close to 100 of them, and the amount of volunteers and adults helping out was amazing. It was so easy to see God's love and how He's formed a strong community and family among these children who didn't have a family of their own. Overall, I'd say this was probably the best VBS we've run so far. Being on the games team and knowing a total of maybe 15 words of Spanish, it's been a challenge as a group to figure out how to communicate with these kids with the major language barrier, but tonight we pulled out the parachute and it worked like magic. Using this activity that required minimal instruction and was familiar to the kids was such a blessing because it allowed myself and the other members of the group to be able to let loose and not worry about controlling the kids as much as just having fun. I remember at one point we were playing a game of Cat and Mouse and this girl next to me who is about 10 years old wanted so badly to be the cat. She raised her hand and shook it in the air and the disappointment on her face when she wasn't chosen was so sad. The round started and I looked at her and said something like "Rapido!" while shaking the parachute, which I'm pretty sure means "faster!" and she just smiled and shook the parachute with all the strength her skinny arms could gather until we were both laughing. It was such a small moment, but it was the first time I had really connected with any of the kids. Almost no verbal communication was used, yet we understood each other. Her smile reflected those of so many of the children in that orphanage, as well as at the other Kids' Clubs we've spent time at, full of love for God and compassion towards one another. 

Once the games, skits, music, and crafts all ended, we gathered and all had hot dogs together to celebrate the holiday, which was either related to the New Year or the Mayans/Incas, maybe a combination of both. According to Joe, the Bolivians love their holidays! Anyways, since it gets dark by 6;30, I ended up on the field behind the orphanage with a few other team members after dinner just looking at the beautiful stars when a tangle of little girls run up and join us on the ground for a little, then they pulled us up to play a game. It was so funny the way they just forced us into a line and all of the sudden little kids were bouncing across our arms in the air screeching and laughing and were completely dependent on us underneath them. They had total trust that someone would always be there to catch them. That really got me thinking as I'm beginning to learn that trust is one of the most important things a group or community can have. Whether it's these kids playing games, or our team working to build parts of the second and third floors of a brick building, we all need to trust in one another and in Christ to make this trip as successful and fruitful as possible, and I'd say as part of this team of super amazing people that we are beyond well on our way to making this an unforgettable experience.

:)
--Katie