Buenos Tardes! Mi nombre es Tamara ;)

Wow! Where to begin? Let's start by saying this is my first mission trip...and it has been an amazing experience! I thought that I was coming to help teach the beautiful ladies of Ruth and Naomi the unconditional love of Jesus....yet it seems He used this experience to teach me the same lesson...and there is no doubt in my mind that the ladies on this trip were hand-picked by God. Each and every person on our team has served a special purpose along the way.
After returning from Samaipata on Thursday, we were all exhausted....and needed some rest, because we still had a big day on Friday! After a great night of rest, the girls painted the living room wall of the transition home and the Women's Pregnancy Center office inside the transition home. After that, they had the opportunity to go back to Talitha Cumi orphanage to play with the children and teach on responsibility and team work. I say they, because I unfortunately caught a bug that was going around and had to stay in bed all day. =(
Today is our last day in Bolivia.... We woke up this morning and went to the transision home, where they cooked us breakfast....pancakes, pure honey, real butter and fresh squeezed orange juice...yum! Then, Carlette and Nancy taught a morning class on infant/child care and safety, which the ladies loved. While Stephanie and I juggled 2 babies and a toddler...during nap time. ;).
This afternoon, we bonded and fellowshipped as women do.... Shopping!
Tonight, we are ending our fabulous trip with a traditional Bolivian meal at everyone's fave....Don Miguel's.
...but first, we have to pack up, because our flight leaves tomorrow morning, at 9am.
To sum it up, the things I have learned in Bolivia, have been...
1. There is no set time and plans change...so, be flexible.
2. Cold drinks and A/C makes u sick. (according to the Pharmacia)
3. This country in beautiful.
4. Ketchup and Mayonaise are the only condiments you need...
And most importantly....
5. Jesus loves us ALL for who we are Right now... Not who we think we should be, not for who others think we should be or for who HE knows we can become....but where and who we are right now.
God Bless

Calling all nurses!!

Stephanie blogged about the retreat and Juanita's accident. My experience has been slightly different than the rest of the team and I wanted to share that with y'all. When Juanita came tumbling off the horse, my heart paused for a split second and then ER nurse in me came to life. I have never been more thankful for having worked in trauma centers across US than in those precious moments. I had to recall so many skills to keep Juanita's spine intact and keep her from being moved around in a way that could compromise her spinal cord. At home, keeping a scene under control can be difficult, this scene was full of people who don't speak English...and as I was trying to hold her neck in a neutral position, I was having to shoo away these spider monkeys...yes...real monkeys from the zoo. I think they wanted to comfort Juanita. There isn't 911 in Samipata, they have a hospital, but it is more lilke a band-aid station than a hospital. Someone called the hospital and they sent a doctor in a truck to assess Juanita, then they went to get an ambulance. All this has taken almost an hour or more since Juanita fell. While we were waiting, we were holding up Juanita's feet and keeping her awake and from moving her head. The ambulance ride was unlike anything I have ever experienced. We made 3 stops before we got to Santa Cruz; at the local hospital for another doctor to look at Juanita, they started an IV and gave her some much needed pain meds for the ride, the second was for a snack for the driver to stay awake and then to get gas when we we closer to Santa Cruz. The ride from Samipata was 2-3 hours...down a mountain...going very fast...the road is mostly paved but every few hundred feet, it was dirt and a we had to slow down...and I was very happy about that. Winding roads are not my friend and I was almost sick in the ambulance myself. When we got to the ER they rushed her in and assessed her, they did x-rays and a CT scan. The hospital was small and no a/c. They call hospitals clinics here...I had to ask why we were taking Juanita to a clinic and not a hospital...Vanessa quickly explained that to me. Juanita had to stay overnight in the hospital with thebhopes of being discharged the next day. The next day Vanessa and I got to the hospital and we did a lot of waiting...just like at home...waiting for x-rays and doctors. At the end of the day we finally had a meeting with 3 doctors and they decided that Juanita should stay another night in the hospital. The rest of the team wanted to go visit Juanita but, they were unable because if the doctors and nurses saw more Americans than the bill would be more. That was such a shock to me, so I went to the hospital with Danny and Dorcas ( the director of the Transition home) to get Juanita to take her to Danny and Vanessa's to make her recovery easier. I have to say that I wasn't expecting to use my nursing skills at all on this trip except for educational questions, but I know now that God had me in Bolivia this week for Juanita and the team. Praise Him for his infinite wisdom and power.

A brief account of the last 3 days (Crazy!!!)

As Jason wrote earlier, we had a crazy accident in Samaipata. We were visiting a wildlife refuge outside of town and Juanita was riding a horse for her very first time. The lady led her on the horse and then let her go to finish the ride. Somehow about 100 yards from where we were all standing, the horse turned around and began to run toward us. It began to run faster and faster until it was racing past us. Juanita's foot slipped out of one of the stirrups and she came flying off and fell on her left side. She was unconscious for about 5 minutes as we tried to assess her. Thankfully, we had 2 nurses with us and Carlette and Nancy were able to keep her stable and assess the situation. She was carried by ambulance with Vanessa and Carlette back to Santa Cruz. She has one broken rib and a bruised lung. They are observing her at the hospital and will probably release her tomorrow. Thank you for your support and prayers. It could've been much worse, but God really carried all of us! A little shaken up, the rest of us stayed in Samaipata to finish the retreat. Despite the craziness of the day, God really blessed our time. To give you a brief overview of the retreat, each day we had worship (in spanish and english) and a speaking session where several of us shared our testimonies and spoke on how God can do infinitely more than we could ask or think in our lives. We encouraged them to rely on his power and love in our lives and not our own strength. For the second session of the day we had support group sessions talking about self worth and forgiveness. The first day, after the support group session, one of the girls from the transition home, Carolean, accepted Christ! Last night after the accident we had a foot washing service where we washed the ladies feet. It was a very sweet emotional time as we served the ladies. They seemed very humbled by us serving them. And today when we had a closing share time, one of the staff of the transition home shared that seeing us serve gives her a stronger passion to serve. They all seemed very blessed by our time together. I had an opportunity to spend a lot of time with Eli, the counselor of the transition home, and I feel God ordained for our hearts to connect. She became our only translator after Vanessa left. She loved the material we were teaching and seemed eager to learn all she could and opened up a lot to me. I am looking forward to working with her in the future and helping her in any way I can to get the girls the help they need to heal from emotional hurts. All in all, we know that God has every member of this team here for a reason, and He has used us in crazy ways we never thought on this trip. Thank you for your prayers! There is still more to come!

Pray Please

Please be in prayer for our team this evening. They were out at an animal reserve in Samaipata horseback riding today when one of the transition home girls, Juanita, was bucked off her horse and was hurt. They think that she may have broken a couple of ribs, has a few lacerations, and probably a concussion. Vanessa, Carlette and Nancy are riding with her in an ambulance back to Santa Cruz (4 hours away) while Stephanie, Tamara, and Lindsey will stay and lead the retreat for the rest of the girls. Everyone is a little shook up. Be in prayer for Juanita for healing and pray for our team as the are now half in Santa Cruz and half in Samaipata leading the retreat. I will update as soon as hear anything new.

Retreat in Samaipata, Bolivia

Our team made it to Samaipata late this afternoon to lead in the retreat for the girls, babies and leaders of Ruth and Noemi Transition Home. There are 5 of our team and 13 them to make a total of 18 on the retreat. There isn't any internet access from where they are staying so we will probably not get any updates for a couple of days. Samaipata is about a 3 to 4 hour bus ride up into the mountains west of Santa Cruz. They described the weather as "sweater weather" up in the mountains.

Our team has prepared a great retreat! Be in prayer for them that God will use them over the next couple of days as they share their lives.

If you are interested in seeing the website for the place they are staying in Samaipata then visit here:
http://www.lavispera.org/

Monday in Santa Cruz

We had a full busy and very productive day today! After a morning of shopping all over Santa Cruz for items for the transition home, we were invited to have lunch with the kids at Talita Cumi orphanage. We got there before the kids got home from school, so we got to tour the facility and meet some of the staff. They have some EXCELLENT people on staff. We were very blessed to meet Heidi (on their board and very much the "mom") and to hear her heart for these kids.

After we ate lunch, the kids sang Happy Birthday to Nancy (today is her birthday!). Then we did a quick talk about hand washing (which they do very well with but always need reinforcing!) and then did a lesson and an activity about protecting their self-worth and finding their value in Christ. They seemed to have fun, and could tell then the message had an impact on them.

Pray for the staff because one of their administrative directors is moving on to another opportunity. The remaining staff will be filling in the gaps until they find a replacement.

In the afternoon we finished up our shopping and did some work redecorating the downstairs bathroom and planning for our painting day we will have at the end of the week. There were a couple of things we haven't been able to find yet, so hopefully we can find them before we leave!

Tomorrow we will leave for the retreat in Samaipata. We have gotten to work around the girls at the Transition Home and gotten to know them some (and their sweet kids!)

Pray for our retreat preparation tomorrow morning, for safe travels up the mountains to Samaipata, and for genuine relationships to build tomorrow evening.

PS - and we got fried plantains tonight! YUM.

PPS - There's definitely a different dynamic this year with an all women team. Lots of laughter!

They have arrived safely!

I heard from Stephanie this afternoon. The team has arrived safely in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Everyone is doing well. They had a bolivian breakfast this morning (chicken empanadas, fresh fruit and fresh fruit juices) at my brother and sister-in-laws home. For those that don't know my brother Danny, and his wife Vanessa and their 3 kids are missionaries based out of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Danny leads a ministry called Agua Yaku, which provides clean water for those need, and Vanessa leads the transition home that our church helps support which is called the Ruth and Noemi Transition Home for Girls. Our team, this week, will be spending most of their time leading a retreat for the girls and babies of the transition home as well as the leaders of the home.

Our team will spend tomorrow at the orphanage that most of the girls in the home come from which is called Talita Cumi. Then Tuesday through Thursday they will be in up in a mountain town called Samaipata leading the retreat.

Continue to pray for our team as God uses them in great ways this week!
Jason Beams

Bolivia Mission Team leaves Saturday, September 10

Bolivia Mission Trip – September 10-18
We have a team away to Santa Cruz, Bolivia this week leading a retreat for the girls, babies, and leaders of the Ruth and Noemi Transition Home. This is a ministry that we support that is a safe place for girls to live that are walking through a crisis pregnancy (no family support, abusive situations) or age out of an orphanage and need a place to land and gain life skills, job training, and discipleship. Please be in prayer for Stephanie Beams, Carlette Thibeault, Tamara Rice, Nancy Massey and Lindsey Hiatt as they lead share their lives with these ladies this week.