MAX

“Seemingly endless amounts of free-time in the afternoon”--obviously I had no idea what I was talking about in my last post.  After two weeks of being back, I’m starting to get back into the swing of things here at the orphanage (as is my stomach). I should’ve known that the “swing of things here” is always a lot busier than I expect.  There is a lot of work to be done on campus, and as always, other situations have complicated things further.

As the only male staff here besides the director, who has his hands more than full, I am in charge of the four remaining orphan boys.  Although it’s “vacation” I still have to get the boys up, make sure their chores get done, keep an eye on them throughout the day, and put them to bed.  Afternoons are tough because, while I have plenty to do and keep me occupied, the boys get bored and naturally come to me to help them find something to do.  Reading books is out of the question for them, so we’ve ended up going down the road to play soccer with some locals, going on some walks, doing mini-workouts, putting a puzzle together, and making a water-slide into the creek with a sheet of plastic.  

In contrast, the mornings are all work and no play.  Our first task was to paint “La Casa de los Cocos” (House of Coconuts) and put new screen over the windows to keep bugs out.  Once all spiffied up, the boys and I were directed to move from “La Casa de los Vegetales” (House of Vegetables--along that same theme, we have houses of frijoles, frutas, and cereales).  The previous occupant of my new room left quite a bit of stuff there including tons of trash on the floor. It took me a whole afternoon of “endless free-time” to move his stuff, move my stuff in, and clean up his mess.  On the upside, I now have a slightly nicer bathroom and really comfy mattress.

With a skeleton crew of staff on hand, I’ve taken my turn in the kitchen three times already in the first two weeks since returning.  Having kitchen duty makes for a long day, but is quite enjoyable as it gives me the chance to improve my cooking skills and try some new recipes.  I baked bread rolls for the first time ever using our questionable oven (and for the second time when the first batch didn’t turn out so well). I also found some different spices in town and tried out a simple curry recipe I found online.  I got the fantastic idea of putting it in my empanada dough and frying it to make Indian samosas, which were delicious.

On the topic of trying new things, this semester I’m going to be trying to speak only in Spanish, as well as send WhatsApp messages only in Spanish. (Sorry to all of you English speakers who will have to put up with this.)  I even turned my phone completely to Spanish, but I have made a few exceptions. My blog, of course, will continue to be in English. I’ve also made a rule that I can talk on the phone in English. Other than that, I hope to be speaking more and more Spanish on a daily basis, only reverting to English if there is a serious situation at hand in which comprehension is paramount.  

As a whole, Familia Feliz tried something new last weekend for church--going to the SDA church in town.  It was a nice change of scenery for both the boys and staff. It was also more relaxed because the service was done FOR us instead of BY us.  We even got invited back for the youth association service in the evening and a church wally-ball social. That’s right… wally-ball--not volleyball.  Think volleyball crossed with racquetball. I had never played it before that night, and had only heard of it once or twice, but apparently it’s a big deal here in Rurrenabaque.  Soccer is the main sport, but I would contest that wally-ball is the second most popular. There are no tennis courts, gymnasiums, or running tracks, but if you want to rent out a wally-ball court, you have two or three options.

After some riveting games of wally-ball, we returned at 10:00 pm sweaty and exhausted.  I opened the door of my room to a whining and whimpering Tom--our puppy.  He had been stuck inside for more than five hours and had done quite the number. Number two to be exact.  In addition, the contents of my toilet paper can (the plumbing is too weak to flush TP here) had been used to decorate the room, and my mosquito net had been torn away from my bed and was laying in a heap.  Normally, I would have been pretty upset with him, but I just felt really bad for him being cooped-up for so long.

Since the volunteers who own the dogs are gone on vacation, the care of the pups has also fallen to me.  I have always claimed to be more of a cat person, but taking care of our three dogs has changed my stance completely.  Tom is just the right age to start training him, so I’ve been teaching him some Spanish commands: “siéntate”, “échate”, “quédate” and so on.  Because I am now their food provider, they follow me around everywhere, and sleep in my room, especially Tom.

Earlier that day, in a rush to get out the door and jump into the truck to get to the church on time, I had only done a brief sweep of the room.  I then asked one of my boys if he knew where the puppy was. He claimed to see him outside, so I locked the door and ran out. He couldn’t have been more wrong.  After cleaning things up and finally getting a shower, I was able to get some rest.

It was a short and fitful rest, though, because I woke up bright and early to go searching for our blind German Shepard, Max.  At that point he had missed three meals and no one had seen him the day before. I searched up and down the creek, along the road, in our fields, in all the rooms, and even in the forest with a machete and Luna, our pit-bull mix, to sniff him out.  A little over an hour later, I was still at a loss and returned to the house. Over the next few days, we banded into little search parties, but to no avail. We’ve prayed and prayed, but Max still hasn’t turned up.

Although blind, Max’s other senses have done a good job of filling in for his handicap.  He knows where home is and where the food comes from, which is why I don’t think he’s “lost”.  He doesn’t wander much, and if he were truly lost or hurt somewhere, I think we, or the other dogs, would have found him.  I don’t think he’s dead--the vultures here would be seen circling in the sky over his body. I think someone took him. German Shepards are pretty uncommon here and he’s a really good looking dog.  All of that being said, we really miss him here on campus, but are leaving the details up to God in prayer.

Right as Max’s absence was becoming worrisome, we added a new SM from Walla Walla to our ranks which cheered everyone up a bit.  So far she’s fit right in and promises to be a great addition to the family. For some reason, Familia Feliz seems to attract only female volunteers which puts some strain on the male staff. Now before I get called a sexist, I should probably explain myself.  Girl volunteers are by no means a problem. (I mean... we need someone to cook for us right? Just kidding--these girls have some machete skills that put mine to shame AND can out-cook me any day of the week.) It’s just tough seeing so many females coming when we have such a shortage of male staff.  

In my time spent searching for Max, I can’t help but see the parallels between God’s search for our hearts.  God put everything on the line for us and pursues us without ceasing. He wants nothing more than to be our number one priority, but there’s a lot in this world that can distract us.  Maybe someone else has stolen you and your affections away, at which God only pursues harder. Maybe you’re lost in a jungle of sin, at which God only searches with greater intent. Maybe you feel spiritually dead, at which God looks into every fathomable way of reaching you.  No matter what you’ve been through, are going through, or will go through in the future, know that God WILL NOT stop until He has succeeded in finding His prize: your heart.

TL;DR

Correction: “Seemingly endless amounts of free time” -> “Working part time as a single dad of four”. My quest to learn to cook has pretty much ended; now I’m learning to cook food worth eating.  Hice una resolución que solo voy a hablar y mandar textos en español. Found out just how fun WallyBall is and just how terrible puppy potty-training can be. We lost one member of the family, our German Shepard, Max, and gained a new one, Alyssa, from Walla Walla.  God is pursuing your heart relentlessly.

P.S. Our old director released a really cool promotional video for his new project explaining some of the work we do here.  I’m not in the video, but much of it was filmed here at Familia Feliz and may give you a better idea of what we do and deal with here.  To check it out, click HERE.

 Bolivia's latest fashions

Indian curry/Samosa filling

Finished product

3/4 of the remaining boys (the other refused to take a picture)

The fourth member of my house (left), and the director's son (right) on a hike

Luna and Tom

Tom - Can you tell I'm attached to the dogs yet? 

Water-slide into the creek.

WARNING: SCROLL DOWN TO SEE PICTURES OF SOME PARASITES WE'VE TAKEN OFF THE DOGS - NOT FOR THE EASILY DISTURBED

 "Boro" from Tom's lip - this is what we thought I had in my knee, although this is a very progressed example

Tick from Max's back - with finger for size comparison.