blog post especially for Elizabeth...

...Before I awake to another email from the UK entitled "Appeal", begging me to imagine the boredom since neither Savannah nor I have posted in an entire week. We wouldn't want Eli to be driven to such extreme measures as reading a book or speaking with someone in the same room, oh no! I'm nice like that.


But seriously, sorry I've been such a terrible blogger lately. It's not that things aren't going on, I just have two full time jobs right now (CDA + street work) so I pretty much crash once I get home late, or have to work on music things for church.

Why I've been a bad blogger:

~ I had the privilege of meeting the triplets, but didn't take a picture (I did have my camera, but it wouldn't have been appropriate at that moment).

~ Two days of increasingly tense nationwide transportation strikes/blockades meant that I was awakened from very early as staff tried to arrive either by foot or in vehicles that were being stoned by angry protesters, and then cared for the 20 babies/young children here with one or two other volunteers until the childcare staff could arrive. I had no time to be stuck at home though and had to brave the streets as we tried to accomplish the pressing tasks, such as obtaining ARV medication, caring for an extremely sick volunteer, and going to speak to the Canada team (more below). There was no time for picture taking!


I guess these sorts of things are so normal to me now I didn't consider it blog worthy, but here's an article about the strike/blockades for those curious: A "Drunkards" Strike Shuts Down Bolivia.

~ It's a constant adventure with my street friends. I never know from one minute to the next if I'll be mediating in extremely messed up family situations, dealing with police or drunks, bandaging wounds, giving "couple" counseling, listening to heart wrenching stories, or more lighthearted moments such as taking them to get their hair cut, to the La Cancha (outdoor market), getting to tell them when their real birthday is (lots of trips to the "registro civil"!), or just shooting the breeze chatting either under the bridge or at the intersection as they wash windows. I have been working on a post but with very limited time because, well, I'm always with them now!

~ We've spent countless hours waiting in lines and obtaining all papers necessary to obtain documents. It's been very rewarding as we make advances and see their self esteem soar as make progress! I've wanted to take a picture inside the extremely crowded, dark, airless building we wait inside for hours at a time, but it's crawling with police and I don't think would be accepted. Here's a pic I snapped with my cell phone of the outside line early afternoon (when the line had already gone down):

~ For the third year in a row, we welcomed a private school team from Canada for the day last week. We operated in major Plan B due to the aforementioned civil unrest, but they were able to come and meet the babies and do a lot of work in the Baby Home: mowing the yard, trimming back plants, painting the playroom, and sorting out the donations they brought. And possibly many other things, but I had to leave Savannah and then Katrina in charge because I was going to a meeting about the triplets, getting meds to the sick volunteer, taking out a couple from the street for his birthday...and so on and so forth (it was a NUTS day!!). The room they painted would have made for a great before and after pic... It gets constant day and night usage and hadn't been painted in almost 3 years!

~ I don't know if I'll get pictures from the Texas concert, but if I do I'll post them!

And here's a recent picture of some kids, since I'm pretty sure that's all Elizabeth wants anyway. :)

Aw, sibling love!