“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Matthew 6:25-27 NLT
Hey hey! This is future Justin writing this at a hotel called Takana in Bolivia. There's been a lot of complications on writing blogs and preparing different things so... a lot of this will be written off of memory, so it may not be as detailed as previous blogs~ Though, as I am slowly catching up to current events, the more accurate the stories will be. Again, thanks for understanding!
"Hola, señors!" I jumped from the back of the truck, greeting dozens of children. They laughed at me, which made me feel embarrassed. I think I was supposed to say, "Chicos" aka "Kids" instead of "Sirs". They were pulling my arms and smiling. It felt surreal in the moment. I was so tired... How did I get here again? Maybe I should recap... We had just flown into Rurrenabaque. Since we haven't eaten since before Customs, our driver wanted to feed us and let us get supplies in town. Fresh from the plane, we got into a green truck. Straight into town, we coincidently bumped into 2 SMs on their day off, Sophia and Matthew. We had our first official South American food at a restaurant called Roots. The food was probably the best food I've had in months; then again, I had been starving for the past few hours. After eating, we went shopping for those who didn't have any fans, mosquito nets, or other essential supplies. And I honestly underestimated the heat and humidity here because I had developed a throbbing headache. This was not how I wanted to greet the kids... I'd been downing water as soon as I felt the headache forming, but alas, nothing was helping. We finally arrived at Familia Feliz despite my condition. I had been silently holding my head trying to recover. As soon as we were about to get off the truck, I steeled myself. I will greet them with a smiling face.
"Hola, señors!" I jumped from the back of the truck, greeting dozens of children. It felt awkward for a second, maybe because of my attempted Spanish. I was so tired from the trip, I just wanted to settle in and sleep. Despite my wishes, the kids were going off with their Spanish. It was if they thought that we already knew Spanish- even though we didn't. Thankfully, they were very helpful with our luggage, being willing to transport our heavy luggage despite being so tiny. They all seemed full of energy even though it was already late into the day. We had parked in the middle of Familia Feliz meaning you could see the entirety of the campus. I noted that there were like 3 sections of the Familia Feliz. Entering into the campus, you start off where the school and church is at. It was like the part of campus where all the specialty activities would be happening. Then going a bit past the school and church would lead you to a fork in the road. A creek ran through the campus and helped separate the living spaces; one side the girls village, and the other side, the boys village. All of the SMs were being dispersed to the different houses they were supposed to be living at. The girls were going on the bridge that let them cross creek, while the boys were able to walk relatively close to their housing.
Me and Aiden would be paired up in the youngest boys house. Being in the youngest boys' house didn't mean we had the youngest kid on campus, but it meant we had an average of the most youngest boys. While they were all tiny and cute, they each seemed to have a unique personality. It would have been nice to communicate with each of them on the first day, but alas- both of us didn't know much Spanish. Both of us mostly focused on moving our stuff into our room. Our house is one of the houses with 2 floors and were called the "Leones" house. Our room was located on the top floor along with the rest of the kids. Luckily, last year's SMs had built a room where we could have a bit of privacy. Though, to be honest, it's not much privacy. Literally, when you walk out of the room, you are face immediately with 13 kids' beds. So, mixed with curious little investigators, they like to crowd in front of room, interested in what we were unpacking. Though, that would be short-lived, not because we shooed them away- it was because it was dinner time!
I was honestly pretty confused at first. To recap and give context: It was late, about 6 to 8 PM (I honestly don't remember... I was sleepy LOL -Future Justin). We had just moved into a stranger's home- a family's home. What were my responsibilities? Were we supposed to do anything? We were told we could rest as soon as we had moved in, but that felt wrong to me. And while I had a headache, I wanted to get to know everyone in the house because I felt like it was the right thing to do. Also, fun fact about Justin Bobo~ I am quite an introvert. I can be pretty shy and quiet. So just imagine a shy Filipino, walking into a room full of children eating on one side of a table, the mother and father of the house and their family on the other side of the table, all turning to spot me. I remember feeling really flushed and maybe my face getting red. "Hola!" The one word I really knew how to say. I don't remember what specifically happened next, but it went down like this. Lots of Spanish being spoken to me. Me being confused and trying to convey that to them. Less Spanish being spoken and more pointing. The mother of the group pointed at herself and told me she was Teacher Emi. She then pointed to her daughter, Emily, who was working on her homework. I somehow got that she also had a son named Isaac. In total, it was a lot of awkward smiles and laughs. After some attempted communication, I smiled, "Buenas noches, muchas gracias." I retreated back into my room. I think I had exhausted all my energy right there and then. I looked at all my unpacked stuff. I think I'll do that in the morning. I then look at my bed. The past SMs left a really nice mosquito net on the bed. Aiden didn't need one because he brought a nice mosquito net. So I claimed it. I crawled into the bed with my fan I had brought from the States. The bed is super stiff. No springs. And there's a dip in the middle. I laid down and attached the fan above me, cooling me down. This is actually pretty comfy...
I woke up to singing. Really interesting singing. There were many melodies and more harmonies. I had just woken up, so I was still sitting in bed somewhat dazed. Looking around my room, Aiden had already left the room. Where'd he go? Don't tell me he went downstairs alone! I finally worked up the courage to get out of my bed, but stopped and stared at the door. The awkward interactions from yesterday was still affecting me. However, I wasn't called here to shy away from awkward interactions. I was made for more. Opening the door, then walking down the stairs, the singing got louder. I walked into the kitchen where all the kids were singing their little hearts out. Although, I couldn't understand the words, the tune of the song was familiar. Aiden was sat on one side of the table, so I sat beside him. "Teacher, bien dia!" said Hermano Juan. He said some other words I couldn't understand. I was super confused- "Lo siento- No entiendo." Which meant, "I'm sorry- I don't understand." He paused briefly and then spoke slower. "Tu..." The only word I recognized- but then he raised his hands and imitated sleeping. Thumbs up or thumbs down. He was asking how I had slept! "Bien bien!" I smiled as I responded. This family was really welcoming.
Worship ended and they served us breakfast. Bread and a weird looking oatmeal. Actually, it definitely wasn't oatmeal. It was a different texture and taste than oatmeal. I still ate it though. The bread was really good and the "oatmeal" was somewhat sweet; I like sweets. The morning was already going great. The only thing on our schedule was basically playing with the kids until around 2. So until then, this was the perfect opportunity to get to know the children. They were already out and about around the house. I wonder what they do to pass the time? Marbles. "Teacher, teacher!" They pulled my hand to a patch of dirt. "Mira." They offered me a marble and showed me to throw it on the floor. There was a group of about 5 including me. Giggling with excitement, they got into their positions and threw their marbles. Then one of the boys knelt down and placed his hand next to the marble. He precisely placed his thumb and... *FLICK* his thumb flicked the marble straight into another marble. That marble's owner then picked it up and threw it elsewhere. To summarize what I thought the rules were: we all had our own respective marble, we take turns to hit our marble trying to hit someone else's marble, and when your marble is hit, you have to pick it up and throw it in a new place. It seemed like an easy and well thought out game. How hard could it be? It was my turn now. Imitating the previous players' technique, I prepared my thumb against my marble. Slowly, I aimed at the near marble to me. The other kids were watching intently- some seeming to cheer for me. I concentrated even harder. Calculating the angle of attack, force needed, and other variables, I finally finished my preparations. It was time. *flick* The marble moved like 2 inches. Everyone continued to play the game. I guess it was normal for first-timers, huh...
It was getting close to 2 o'clock. Time really does go fast when you're having fun. Both me and Aiden had been playing with the kids for the whole time. But alas, the fun has to end at some point right? We lined up our kids and started heading over across the bridge to the girls side. Since all the staff were going to be there, all the kids needed to be there too. At our meeting spot, we let the kids run loose. I'm pretty sure this was the first time I've seen both the boys and girls play. Anyways, it was time for a meeting with all the staff and volunteers. This discussion would introduce us to the rest and also determine our fate for the rest of our time here. Most of the new SMs, including me, were still very confused at what we were supposed to be doing.
The meeting finally started. All the staff, including us, were all sitting in a circle. Then one man stood up and started speaking English. He's the director of Familia Feliz, Teacher Max. He welcomed us and thanked us for coming as SMs. Though, since not everyone knew everyone yet, it was time for us to go around the circle and introduce ourselves. All the SMs introduced themselves, (if you want to know more about them- you can learn more about them here!) and Max finalized our roles. I would be on campus as a part-time house parent and my main purpose was for the social media team! I had been prepared to be doing media projects while being here, but after arriving, I was nervous if I'd have to be doing something else. But then I was reminded something: God placed me here for a reason. Along the entire trip, there were traces of God's hand guiding me. Everyone and everything that was here, was here for a reason. Why should I be worried? I was finally going to be used for God's purpose. Media! And I can slowly learn how to be a house parent from the already excellent family I'd be living with!
Then God threw a curveball at me. The main house parents will be going on vacation starting this Sabbath for about a week and a half. Both me and Aiden would be newbie full-time house parents of a bunch of kids that don't speak our language.
Finished writing September 18th, 2024