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Brief Update – Bolivia

Well, after two weeks without any electricity, telephones, toilets (the bush was it the whole time), or drinkable water in places, I am back to civilization again.

Right now I am in the process of thumping out a story about all that
happened in the mountains and jungles of Bolivia. There is much to tell about my adventures there. The roads carved into the sides of sharp mountains were scary and dangerous, the lifestyle of the people was basic and fundamental, the temperature was approaching 50 degrees celcius, and the dangers were real – tigers, bears, vipers, malaria and chagas to name the most severe – but my time there was also very rewarding.

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Boliva – Back From The Jungle

Well, after three weeks without communication, I am finally back to somewhere that I can access internet. Where I went, there was no electricity, telephones and at times not even drinkable water nearby. It was certainly remote, but also very interesting. The mountains and jungles of Bolivia.

There is so much to say that I won’t ever get to tell you everything, suffice to say that these are mainly the highlights.
Continue reading “Boliva – Back From The Jungle”

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Bolivia – Yacuiba

Well, we finally made it to Bolivia, after a 20 hour bus ride and being accosted by a bunch of peddlers at the border. That, and some problems actually getting through the border started our time here with a punch.

Border Crossing
It turns out that Chileans need a passport to get through the border of Bolivia. This was contrary to the information that we had been given before leaving our home in Corrientes. Fortunately the guards at the border were helpful, and with our whole team adding more pressure to get everyone through, we were able to come to an agreement that apparently did not completely break the laws. This was a good thing, for both us and our only Chileana.

Yacuiba Bolivia
The town of Jacuiba appears, for all intents and purposes, very much like any other town in Argentina. It has shops and cars and people everywhere, and of course there are the compulsory plazas where everyone gathers. The differences are not very obvious at first, but after staying here for a while, they start to stand out.

One of the noticeable factors of this town, is that some of the basics that we often take for granted such as water and electricity, are not always available. In fact, water is cut off every day to different parts of the city. Our section loses water in the morning often, and sometimes at night. Many of the schools only receive water during the morning hours. Electricity too is also cut off at times, although this has not been a daily occurance while we have been here.

Performing Art
Our main goal here has been to visit many of the local schools and colleges and share with the students there. As a group, we have a large range of theatrical pieces that we perform in front of large crowds of children, teaching them moral values and the consequences of poor choices in life. These pieces normally are followed by a brief chat about the values involved in each one, and the children are given an opportunity to respond to what they have seen. Many take this chance, and others come and talk with us afterwards.

We have also performed in the main city plaza, drawing large crowds of people. The following day we found ourselves in a local street in the outlying suburbs, in front of dozens of children and many of the locals from the surrounding houses. They too were treated to our performances, as well as a time of sharing and discussions.

Lower Living Standards
This street and the area around it was a much lower level of living standard than in the main town of Yacuiba. All of the roads here are dust, and the wind whipped it up into our faces that were lined with sweat from the heat of the day. The houses, barren of anything resembling luxury, sport only the necessities of life. Pots and pans, a wooden chair against a rickety wooden table, and perhaps a television to provide a means of escape. The overall feeling in the place was quite heavy.

With our time in Yacuiba coming to a close, we are now working side by side with a team of people to help run a camp for children over this weekend. Although we considered ourselves to be very busy before, this weekend is scheduled so tight that we only get 15 minutes to ourselves each day. The morning after the camp, on Monday, we all head out to the next location in Bolivia… Entre Rios.

Entre Rios
Entre Rios is said to be much greener than the area around us here which is bascially dirt and dust. The whole area of Entre Rios, which means “between rivers”, is very green, very humid and very hot, with a lot of surrounding jungle. Although we are going to Entre Rios, our work is amongst the people living in communities around this small town.

There are few roads here, and at best there are some walking tracks through the bush and jungle. Some of the tracks are expected to take three hours or more to walk. We have been warned to carry water with us as all water outside the town is bitter and bad to drink. Not only that, but we also will need to carry all of our gear with us too. For me, that means a very full and heavy backpack. For others, it is a heavy suitcase with wheels. I hope they will be able to roll along the tracks.

So as our time comes to a close here we prepare for the worst. Spiders and snakes and bugs and nasties are all reported to be in Entre Rios, even by those who have been there. It sounds like a very pretty but dangerous place. On Monday I will be finding out for myself just what it is like.

Until we talk again, Rob.

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Bolivia and Beyond

It has been a long time since I have written, and although I would love to update you on everything, the time is still not with me. Right now, urgency is the thing that presses me to write to you at this time.

As you will probably remember, I left Buenos Aires to visit some friends in Uruguay, and almost immediately after that I ended up in the North of Argentina, in a city called Corrientes, right on the river that borders with Paraguay. In this city is a local YWAM base (they call it JUCUM over here) where I felt that God had called me to.

In this base I started to do the Discipleship Training Course which is a 6mth training school that teaches me the values of YWAM and many life-changing principles from the Bible. Now there has been many many things that have happened during my time here, and I have journalled much of it, so most of it is not lost, but as for writing about it I do not have time just yet.

The main thing that I can say right now is that most people keep noting that there have been obvious changes in me. I can see in myself that there has been a huge change in the heaviness that I had previously always felt inside of me. All of my anger and (controlled) desire to act it out has also left me and I feel no level of frustration like that any more. These are the more obvious things that I can tell myself. Most people simply say they can see a difference on my face.

Well after something like three months of life-changing teaching, instruction, and modelling, my theory part of the course has come to a close. There is no more to be said… for now we are required to go out and put into practice all that we have learned and use the new tools that we have been practicing with. Half of my class has already started their journey to Peru. My journey with the other half of my class starts tomorrow. We are heading to Bolivia.

Bolivia
Our goals are different, so I will talk only of Bolivia here. When we get there, we will be living in a number of different locations. Bolivia is a poor country, one of the poorest in South America, and Argentina is seen as one of the richest in comparison. We have no fixed address but instead will be moving in and often living amongst some of the poorest people in the country.

In these conditions there are dangers such as Chagis disease (where a parasite can eat your organs out over a period of 20yrs without cure), a skin-burrowing bug, and the usual other bugs such as hepatitis and so on. Our sleeping conditions are unknown, as is the condition of the places we will be entering. There appears to be few telephone lines in the area and some suggest that there may not even be power.

Our goal in going to these places is to help the people that are in need. If there is building that needs to be done then we will build. If there are churches around then we will help them in the areas that they are helping the people. Of course it is natural that we will be wanting to share with them some of the hope that we have also, and demonstrating the truth of it through healing and other miracles.

Throughout our time in Bolivia it is probably that we will be doing a tremendous amount of walking between places, catering for ourselves with the food that we can find (this should not be too much of a problem), and trying to keep spirits up in a sweltering heat. I too face the difficulty that nobody speaks English on my team, so all communication will be in Spanish.

Buenos Aires
After one month of working in Bolivia, we are all converging back in Buenos Aires at another YWAM base for a National Meeting on the 3rd of November. During this time of sharing our experiences and catching up with each other (including the team from Peru and the Buenos Aires students) we will be once again separated into two teams. These teams are likely to be somewhat different from our current teams. Then we commence the second part of our outreach – to Argentina.

We will be going to Jujuy and San Antonio del Santiago, two different teams to the two different provinces. Here will be much of the same sort of thing as in Bolivia, and for about the same amount of time. We finally return to our base in Corrientes on the 3rd of December. The next ten days sees us sharing our experiences and finishing up our course, which ends on the 13th of December 2004.

Your Part
If you are a praying person, then I ask that you would please pray for us as a team during this time. If it is possible to communicate with you during this time then I will try to do so, otherwise you will hear from me around the beginning of December.

And now… to my adventure. Bolivia, here I come!

Rob.

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A New Church

I am at a loss. Everything in me wants to fellowship with other people, but nothing in me wants to go to a church. I am not against churches however, it is just that I cannot continue to perform this ritual. It is empty and lifeless to me. The people in the church give the place life and help me through each service, and it is wonderful chatting with them afterwards, but why do I have to endure the service so that I can enjoy this?

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Feeding the Hungry

It seems such a little thing to do. Taking ten minutes of time out of life to help someone who needs it. Spending that time talking with someone who may be lonely. Spending $2 or so on food for someone that is hungry. But it makes such a difference to those people.

Just Another Day
Today was another wet day just like the last few had been. I was not studying at the moment so I decided to take a walk along the street and check out the shops. With no real shelter for the rain, I hugged the shop fronts for the little protection they gave as I wandered along.

It was a book shop that caught my attention, and I spent twenty minutes looking through the selection of Spanish books on offer. There seemed to be nothing in the area I was looking for, but then I was not sure that there ever would be either. I wanted a book that was easy to read with my simple Spanish skills, but about a complicated topic such as politics, history, or globalisation. Not an easy ask, and when I found nothing I headed back out to the street.

The Encounter
As I stood at the entrance to the shop, wondering where I would go next, in my side-vision I noticed a man moving along quite slowly. Turning to see why, I realised that he was on crutches. The reason for the crutches was his leg. It was missing.

He looked up at me and asked feebly, “¿moneda?” It was the way most people on the streets asked for money, although “moneda” specifically refers to coins. He was not the usual chap for the streets, and he had asked the wrong person for money.

A long time ago I was warned against giving money to anyone that asked for it. I have always heeded that advice ever since. The problem is that money can be converted into anything, and often is converted to alcohol or other drugs of choosing. Instead I normally offer to buy what they need.

The Offer
While this man was looking up at me, for I was standing on the elevated shop floor still, I asked him if he wanted to eat. He nodded in agreement, and I joined him on the street. Nearby was a hotdog and hamburger shop so I pointed to that and we made our way over to the store. He was slow on his crutches, and I stayed with him as he wandered, thankful that the rain had paused at just this moment.

Once we arrived at the shop, busy and filled with customers, I ordered our food and we took a seat down at the back of the place. As we ate, this man slowly started to realise that I was genuine, and as he did, his conversation became more detailed and animated. It was here that his story started to unfold.

It is times like this that I wish my Spanish was so much better than it really is. The deep accent and murky pronunciation made it hard for me to understand the words I knew, and almost impossible to pick up on any new ones throughout the conversation. But I persisted.

The Event
Through a mouth full of food, he told of how it was only four months ago that he had had both legs. He was working hard on the day that it happened. It was out on a street, somewhere nearby judging by his gestures, and some sort of machine ran over it. I assumed it was a road works machine.

I could not determine exactly what it was that happened, only that it took place four months ago. He was still using medication to keep the pain down, and showed me many of the tablets that he had to take. These were in one of the pockets of his torn and tired backpack, from which he also produced his medical documentation needed for visits to the hospital.

Goodbyes
When lunch was finished we rose to leave. Outside the shop, using the only two words of English that he knew, my new friend said, “goodbye.” Then, before I pulled away, he grabbed my arm, and with trembling lips he really thanked me. I felt that thank you rise up from the bottom of his heart.

A tear streamed from his eye as I acknowledge his thanks. After that we parted. Where he went or what he did I do not know. I just know that he was hungry, and I did what I would want anyone else to do for me. I offered him a meal.

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A Prayer For Friends

When I think of my prayer in the morning, and how the events of the day turned things to what they are now, I am amazed. Some would call it luck, fate, or chance. I would call them wrong. How thankful I am that God hears and answers our prayers.

The Prayer
I woke up this morning and realised that the only friends I have had since arriving in this place were tourists who kept moving on, and teachers from my courses, who remained as professional friends. When I prayed this morning, I prayed earnestly to God for at least one local friend. Someone that actually lived in this city and that was a local, whom I could call a friend.

After praying, I felt God promise me that I would find such a person soon. I did not know when that was and did not expect it would be today.

Changing Plans
On leaving my hotel I felt that I should turn right. Most of the time I simply turned left and wandered into the heart of the city. Today however I wandered up to the incredibly wide road, Avenida 9th July.

My plans had started off rather certain for the day, I knew where I was about to go and what I wanted to do. However, as I reached the Avenida, I felt that this was not what I needed to do today. This then left me without any plans, so instead I simply sat down in the park surrounding the Obelisk and enjoyed the sun.

The Obelisk, a very tall white pointy thing for which there is very little reason it exists save to serve as one of the most known sights in Buenos Aires, stands directly in the middle of Avenida 9th July. It is surrounded by a rather large park, around which all 16 lanes of traffic have to curve. It was in this park that I sat, soaking up the sun and pondering upon what exactly I should do next.

A walk to a nearby park which I had not yet seen was most uninteresting, and revealed yet one more place lacking in maintenance. Some impressive buidings nearby held my attention for a moment, but I soon found myself wandering back to my side of Avenida 9th July where a local Pizza shop enticed me to stop for lunch. After all, who can refuse an All-You-Can-Eat pizza deal for only $4.90 pesos.

While enjoying my pizza, I remembered promise a staff member at my old hostel that I would return to say hello once I had left. It had been two weeks now since leaving, and I had not returned. Realising that I needed to keep my word, I headed straight there. On my way I passed a frenzy of fans gathering to see the last ever show of Bandana, an Argentine pop group.

Visiting San Telmo
After visiting the hostel, I decided that since I was so close to San Telmo I would wander through there and see some more of this place. San Telmo is the land of arts and crafts and everything old imaginable. Much of what is sold in the markets at San Telmo is considered junk to most other people, although I think they just keep holding onto it until it becomes valuable. Bottles and coins, brass and iron, broken and working, old and new, all could be found here.

I had passed through and around the streets and was ready to simply stop and rest. The place I found was against a wall directly in line of sight of a “statue mime”, one of those people who stand motionless on a box until someone gives them some money. There seems to be no end to them throughout the city of Buenos Aires, and San Telmo has more than its share.

While leaning against the wall, I started staring directly back at this mime, intent on breaking their motionless expression. It was at this moment that I was approached by someone, whom I was about to learn was Victoria, from LIFE Argentina. She paused at first, thinking that I was posing for a photo or something, but seeing her hesitation, I broke my game with the mime and started chatting with her.

LIFE Argentina
Although our conversation started briefly in Spanish it quickly changed to very good English. It turns out that LIFE Argentina is a non-profit organisation helping underprivileged children in the city and province of Buenos Aires. The first conversation was whether I could help them out financially, but at that point in time I couldn’t.

From there, things could have stayed as they were. Victoria had gone back to trying to solicit money from other passersby, and I resumed my game with the mime. They probably would have stayed as they were actually, if it were not for the fact that I looked over and saw the table and umbrella of the LIFE stand sitting only a few metres from me.

When I looked over I really felt that I should go over and ask more about it. I stayed where I was at first, but then caught sight of this girl being constantly rejected by so many people as she approached them for money to finance the organisation she so believed in. That was all I needed to get me moving, and I wanded over to the stand to find out more about it.

So it was that I found out about the details of what they do with the children and how they help them in so many situations. In our conversation I discovered that LIFE itself is not affiliated with any church but is simply a non-profit organisation run by volunteers. In response to my question however, Victoria informed me that she was a Christian, as were others in the organisation.

Like Minded People
During our conversation I also met her brother, Gabriel, and another girl from LIFE who was also there at the time. Afterwards, we exchanged contact details and will be getting in touch about the next activities of LIFE this week. I expect that I will be getting involved with them over this next week or so, helping out with the kids where I can.

How amazing it is to discover like-minded people in the most unexpected places. To think that if I had kept to my original plans I would never have met these great people, nor had the opportunity to help out the kids in Buenos Aires. It is great to know not only locals, but also Christians willing to make a difference in this place.

When I think of my prayer in the morning, and how the events of the day turned things to what they are now, I am amazed. Some would call it luck, fate, or chance. I would call them wrong.

How thankful I am that God hears and answers our prayers.

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YWAM – First Contact

Sunday Morning
It is 10am on Sunday in Buenos Aires. The city is still sleeping. Few peope walk the streets. The roads are quiet and easy to navigate. This quietness stands in sharp contrast with any other day. I am walking, looking, searching. My destination is church. A particular church found via Internet. That was my intention. I arrived. I moved on. The church was not for me.

Now I am in the mall. Low on memory for photos. Time to copy my photos to CD. Bad choice. An Internet shop girl knowing nothing. Join-the-dots teaching. Two hours of frustration. Two CDs. One part dead. Glad to be leaving. Now I wanted to go somewhere. Do something.

Change of Plans
This is where my story starts…

As I considered lying in the sun in Plaza San Martín, I felt impressed to visit the YWAM base in Buenos Aires. So a subway ride and wander through some back streets later and I find myself standing outside a solid steel door at an unmarked house. I am staring at the right street number, but nothing alludes to being in the right place. I have come this far. I press the intercom button.

It does turn out to be YWAM indeed, and it is not long before someone arrives at the door to let me in. I was expecting a small house. What I entered was a large multi-level dwelling containing an area out the back similar to a warehouse. I climb the steep stairs to the first level where those remaining on base are finishing lunch.

Before long I am learning about this base and sharing with them how I got here and my current activites in Buenos Aires. It is refreshing to speak with such vibrant people. I also ask them about the location of a decent church to which they offer to take me in just over an hour. It sounds great so I agree. While I wait, I chat.

Emily, a vivacious Brit, happily regales me with much of the ins and outs of this particular YWAM base. I learn that this is only one part of a bigger base located in the regional suburbs and here contains the disciplines of art, media, counselling and evangelism within its walls.

Richard, another long term YWAMer staying on the base, fills me in on the greater YWAM vision for Buenos Aires. How their focus has moved from small pockets of need to influencing large organisations and government departments that are effecting the whole city.

A Popular Place
It is a little late when we leave, with four of us taking a bus to reach the church. Our destination is the Rey de Reyes church (King of Kings). When we arrive it is 30 minutes late but, as I am about to discover, the service goes for 4 hours so there is still a lot of it left.

The church is packed with people so full that every spare area of the floor is covered in chairs, right to the steps of the stage. People are everywhere. After a slow negotiation to the very front, we are seated with other late-comers.

The whole service was in Spanish and my level of understanding is not yet enough to listen unaided. Fortunately translation was available for me in the form of headphones. Once I put them on, everything made much more sense. My new friends share an earpiece with me, finding it beneficial to listen in on the English version when the porteño (Buenos Aires) dialect of Spanish becomes hard to decipher.

Although four hours long, the time moves quickly. At the end of the service we work our way out onto the street. It was a slow push through a crushing crowd of people. Outside, it becomes obvious that there is another service about to begin. A line of people extending down the block and around the corner until out of sight has formed in anticipation. The sight is astounding.

Only Beginnings
We all head back to the YWAM base, where I farewell my new friends after arranging to meet again on Friday. I leave excited that I have made new friends, and that I now know of a great church here. It was perfect timing for a visit. I have a feeling that I will be seeing a lot more of these guys.

That was YWAM. My first contact.

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A Brief Background

In 1998 when I was working in Cairns Australia, God called me to go to New Zealand. About eight years before that I had seen a short video on a place called Lifeway College* over there. This was now the same place that I believed God was calling me to move to.

At the end of that year I sold up all my gear and bought a one-way ticket to New Zealand. Once at Lifeway College I studied for six months on their core course which was called the CE course. After this I moved onto the college staff. I remained there until leaving four years later.

During my time in New Zealand I had started to plan for a long term stay in the country. It was around this time that God then called me to go to South America. To be sure I understood this was important, He told several other people independently of me that I was going too. When they told me, not knowing anything of what I was thinking at the time, any doubt I may have had, had vanished.

Realising I was leaving my many friends behind and wanting to remain in contact with them, I started RobAbroad, an email list that sends to everyone at once. This way I could tell everyone at once what I was doing regarding leaving for Argentina. It has been a wonderful tool during these days of constant change.

The contents of the emails have now been placed on the internet. Not so everyone in the world can see them, but to make them more accessible to those of my friends who don’t have email but have access to a computer somehow.

In the interests of continuing friendships and maintaining contacts.

Rob.

* The Lifeway College that I knew is now sold to a NZ church and in a very different location. For that reason, I have linked to the original website through the Internet Archive. I have also provided a link to an image capture of the old Lifeway website.