CHICKENS! Finally!



Finally! Cesar bought the layer chickens and we're going on this egg project. This week we vaccinated all 100 of them by dripping the vaccine into one of their eyes. This is to prevent them from getting New Castles Disease. Once these chickens begin producing eggs, they will provide Cesar and Mirtha with some income and food.

Photo of the Week: In the Grocery Store

Chicken hearts ready for the grill in the local grocery store.

Easter Ark

We dressed up a little more than usual this morning, partly out of Easter tradition and partly because it was the first day cool enough to wear long sleeves in quite some time. When we arrived at church we found that the attire was quite casual, not surprising since evangelicals here downplay Easter to avoid appearing anything like the Catholics who make a big deal out of Easter (or at least Good Friday).  Kind of sad considering Easter is the celebration of the core of Christianity.
It was a unique service however.  Up front was a TV which of course led us to believe we would be watching something related to Easter. "Oh good, at least we are going to do something Eastery" we thought.  The movie: Noah's Ark. The rabbits in the ark we're even pink or made of chocolate (not that rabbits really have anything to do with Easter)! After the movie we were then quizzed on Moses and the events leading up to the Exodus. How's that for an eclectic service!

Photo of the Week: 'Tis the Season

The weather is cooling down, the Toborochi Trees are blooming, and what better thing to do than that old Bolivian pastime, protesting. BANG BANG BANG! The firecrackers nearly make you jump out of your socks as the mob comes around the corner. 'Tis the season to get a bunch of people together to march around downtown or block a highway with tires and trees. Ah, what fun.



I am going to try to start to post a "Photo of the Week" on the blog. Each week I will post a random photo from life here in Bolivia to help give you a taste of life and culture here in Bolivia. We'll see how this goes.
-Jason

Guisela and Cristian Cesar

A few of you have asked for updates on Guisela, the little Ayore girl we wrote about in March. This week the doctors at the public children’s hospital finally figured out she didn’t have dengue (which we knew all along). Now they are fairly confident she has some form of leukemia. Although this is a sad diagnosis, in it there is an answer to prayer: she has been transferred to the public cancer hospital where she can finally begin receiving appropriate care.
Please pray for Guisela and for her family, particularly her grandmother, Robertina, who is a solid Christian woman. I was speaking to her relatives today and it sounded like she was very discouraged since all the doctors seem to be doing right now is taking samples for tests.



While we were in Santa Cruz this week another little boy has come to our team’s attention. Cristian Cesar is a 3.5 year old, Ayore boy, who has severely clubbed feet.

Cristian Cesar

Cristian comes from Porvenir, a small community about half an hour from where Jason and I live (about 2 hours outside the city). Apparently in the public health system here they had already done a surgery to correct his feet, however when the casts came off, there was no change. The surgery didn’t work.

After the first (unsuccessful) surgery

This family then decided to come to Placido (our team leader and a surgeon) in order to have the surgery done properly. The only problem is that to do the surgery well it will cost a lot of money. Although Placido himself will do the surgery for free, in order to buy the plates and screws, rent the operating room, and buy the meds it will end up costing about $2,000 USA dollars. Because this little boy is now 3 ½ years old, the surgery cannot be put off any longer and his feet need to be corrected now before he grows more.

So cute!
Please pray for Cristian. Pray that the funds and resources will come in to be able to do the surgery soon. We are confident that God will provide. We have seen His provision in lots of cases like this, so please join us to pray.

Experiences for an Aspiring Midwife

Wow. So much has happened since Friday I’m not sure how to re-cap in a reasonable way so you will all read it without getting bored. I guess a timeline will be the best option.

Gringa and her new baby GIRL (yes, yes, she's wearing blue)

Saturday, April 9th

8:00am- Receive a phone call from Gringa, a 19 year old Ayore girl, pregnant with her first child. Apparently she had been having contractions through the night and wanted me to know since she agreed to let me accompany her through her delivery. She says she will keep me posted.

10:00am- Noah’s Birthday Party! Whoo hoo! We had about 22 kids and probably 40-50 adults come out! It was great fun. Toni Mercado made an AWESOME cake for Noah and overall it was a good time. Birthday boy decided to sleep through half of it and didn’t really show up until 11:00am, but no one seemed to mind.

11:20am- Pinata. All I can say is crazy.

11:40am- Noah’s first cake! He had chocolate cake with yummy frosting. Must admit there wasn’t much of a reaction.

12pm- Everyone heads home and a few people to our house to hang out.

9pm- Receive another phone call from Gringa’s family. She is having more contractions and needs to go to the clinic to be checked. I tell them I will be there shortly (I really needed a shower).

10pm- Go to start our car and it makes a horrible squealing noise and starts smoking.

10:15pm- Go to neighbors to borrow car.

10:45pm- Get to Poza Verde, pick up Gringa, head back to Pailon.

11:00pm- Checked by the Dr (who allowed me, begrudgingly, to be with her while he checked)- 1cm. Not happening tonight. We all go back to PV to sleep.

Sunday AM- Contractions stopped, I go home to try to rest and get the car back to our neighbors.

Monday AM- Up early to Santa Cruz. Call in for an update- more contractions- Gringa would head back to Pailon this morning to be checked.

Monday 1pm- Finally make it to the clinic. Things moving slowly.

Monday 3:30pm- Gringa checked by the gynecologist. I introduce myself to her and she graciously allows me to watch and even explains a few of the things she is checking for. Super cool. I asked her to introduce me to the Dr. who would be on duty that night (since it looked like an early morning baby). She did! It was great! He was very kind as well and was more than happy to let me hang around/assist. (I’m not entirely convinced he completely understood that I have had zero formal training). This was a HUGE answer to prayer since often Bolivian Drs are very closed about having unknown people around. You have to fight to get the Dad in the delivery room here!

Monday 4pm- I realize I’ve missed lunch and I’m starving and go to my friend’s house for food.

6pm- Next check. 5cm dilated. Progression! Yay!

7:30pm- Almost 7cm. Contractions still aren’t super super consistent.

9pm- almost 8cm. Gringa is SUPER tired. She didn’t take a nap in the afternoon like I told her to.

10:30pm- 8cm.

Tuesday, April 12th

12am- Contractions hard and fast. 9.5cm. Quite a few tears are shed, understandably.

1:35am- BABY ARRIVES!

Baby Ayore Girl

2:45am- After everything settles I finally get a ride home from my friend.

3:30am- Fall into bed.



10am- find out our car is suddenly working.



It was quite the experience for an aspiring midwife. Let’s just say there were some really awesome parts, and some really awful parts. The awful parts would be things that I don’t think I would ever do to a pregnant lady. It was great being there for Gringa and supporting her. She didn’t have any prenatal/labor instruction or preparation. I don’t think she had a clue going into this experience what would happen (not like many of us do). But occasionally she asked good questions and when she hit the end of her rope (like ALL of us do), it was great to be able to support her and encourage her that she could actually do it. When she was afraid, she asked me to pray- and I did so with pleasure. There is nothing like being in the most vulnerable state that makes us turn to God. And God gave her a beautiful gift- a little girl.

Tired, but very happy Momma