(A Bolivia, Con Amor)
To Bolivia:Out of my ten, Julia is just one
But a full one she is
One full of life and love and laughter
One for you, from me
With bubbles and balloons for your little ones
(It speaks love in any language)
How beautiful are the feet that bring Good News:
She will walk in your mountains
(Lord, have mercy! Snakes, be still!)
And she will give hugs in your villagesSpeak words of grace, too
And so she will love and listen and learn
Just a short while
Though it seems so long to a mother far away
And even if she leaves a part of her heart in youEven if she empties herself for you
This is the paradox:
I know you will send her back full
From Bolivia, with love
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isaiah 52:7
I LOVE YOU, JULIA!
Vaya con Dios!
~*~*~
My second daughter, Julia Grace Knowles, left today for three months in Entre Rios, Bolivia. It is her third trip there, but by far her longest. The other two times (in 2005 and 2007) she went for just a couple of weeks with the Mission:X construction and medical teams from our church. Her suitcases are totally stuffed, not just with her clothes and bedding and personal items, but with gifts for the children there: bubbles, balloons for making animal shapes, candy, Spanish language books, and more. There are also some Spanish language Christian books for the adults at the mission, who are mostly native Bolivians.
Many people have asked me if I am frightened about sending my 19 year old daughter to a poverty stricken socialist country where the mountain roads are horrible, there is rampant crime and disease, health care is substandard or non-existent in the rural areas, and rebels occasionally stage coups and take over airports. No, I am not frightened. The safest place to be is in the center of God's will, no matter where that may take you or whatever terrible thing may happen to you. She knows the risks and she's glad for the opportunity to take them (again) for the Gospel's sake. We took a walk this morning, just the two of us, and she thanked me for not freaking out about her going. I told her, as I have many times before, that I am so excited for her. This is what we have raised our children to do. Reaching the nations and generations is where my heartbeat is. So I send her to Bolivia with love and joy and faith.
On Monday morning (January 18), a Vacation Bible School starts (it is summer there) with around 100 children coming to the mission for several days from any of the surrounding mountain villages. Some of the kids are walking a few hours to get there. Much of the rest of her three months there will be spent hiking out to the villages, such as Las Abras, with Angela, the only other American. They will minister to the children and train some of the older children to teach Sunday School. 
You can read about Angela in a blog post called "A is for Angela." This picture was taken when she stayed with our family for a week this past September.
Julia is going to attempt to keep up her own brand new blog this summer, since there is Internet access in Entre Rios. You can check it out at http://www.juliaknowles.blogspot.com/ She has already put up two posts, one with pictures, and the other explaining her trip in her own words.
Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
Mission:X to Bolivia 2007
Welcome to my Bolivia page! From June 22 to July 10, my 18 year old daughter Julia served on a medical mission trip in southern Bolivia. This is an update page, with entries in reverse order starting with a group of photos taken on the trip. Enjoy! I would love to hear your comments. You can e-mail me at HopeChestNews@embarqmail.com
Photos posted (finally!) on August 17, 2007
Julia giving a shot at one of the clinics!
Walking to a village to do a clinic -- Julia is in the gray sweatshirt.
With her precious young Bolivia friends! (This is why she left her heart in Bolivia!)
Can you imagine crossing one of these bridges at night?
One day on the trip, Julia and her friend Alyssa (who is on the left in the picture above) started singing the same song simulatenously, out of the blue. They sang it throughout the rest of the trip, and Julia was so encouraged by the thought of Jesus "melting hearts of stone" as they ministered in the villages of southern Bolivia. Here is a little bit of this sweet song....
by Elvina M. Hall, 1865
I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
For nothing good have I, Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white, In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
Lord, now indeed I find, Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots, And melt the heart of stone.
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
July 9 at 7:00 AM: They are coming home! The medical and construction teams had some significant travel challenges trying to get from Entre Rios (down near the border of Argentina) up to La Paz! When they got to Tarija on Saturday after a long bus ride, they found out that 9 of them would not be able to board the plane because the reservations had not been reconfirmed 24 hours in advance. And for the 6 who did make it on the plane, once they got to Cochabamba, they found out that they would be stuck there for an unexpected extra 7 hours. Of the 9 who stayed in Tarija, we had been told that some of them might not get to fly until today (Monday) but fortunately, they were all able to make it to La Paz by Sunday evening in time for the farewell party with the evangelism team there. (While waiting in Tarija, they got to take a boat ride and visit an open market, so all was not lost anyway.) Today they start the last leg of the journey home! They are flying home overnight, will hopefully arrive in Miami early tomorrow morning and then be back to Orlando (by chartered bus) sometime mid-morning. Yay! We miss our Julia!
July 7 at 6:30 AM: I believe that the medical and construction teams are en route to La Paz as I write this. First is that notoriously bumpy (and dangerous bus) ride to Tarija, and then the airplane. I talked to Peggy last night at a friend's birthday party. Her daughter Noelle and son-in-law George (who is a nurse) are on the medical team with Julia. She said they are getting back on Tuesday, not Monday. She also passed along some news she had gotten from Noelle via e-mail. The medical team treated an estimated 400-500 people. On this team, only Rita (a nurse in her 50s) has gotten sick. Traveling by foot has been rather hazardous on the mountain trails. They even had to walk over 2 hours in pitch dark to get back to Entre Rios on Thursday night, including crossing a rickety bridge with broken planks. Apparently about this time, their translator had been telling them a local legend about a bear that kidnaps people to take back to its cave -- and then they heard a growling noise. It turned out to be a donkey, but one of the guys had his machete ready to defend the team, just in case! I also heard that one of the guys slipped off of a steep mountainside, but was fortunately grabbed just in the nick of time by one of the other guys, who was in turn caught by George, who hauled them back up. And finally, Noelle reports: "We have had church meetings almost every night in the different villages. It is so exciting to be with our brothers and sisters in Christ that we have never met – so amazing. To know that someday we will all be in heaven together without the language barriers, all worshipping God and glorifying him together, crying, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!’ I just cannot wait. It is such a privilege to come here and get just a glimpse of heaven in this way. I cannot wait to be with these people and many more in heaven some day. God’s presence is all over this world. He’s working everywhere. HE IS SO GOOD AND SO FAITHFUL!” Amen, Noelle!
July 6 at 10:30 AM: Julia just called from Entre Rios! It was a short call, because it is really expensive, but it was so good to hear her voice! She said she feels like she has been run over by a truck and she is exhausted, but she is having the time of her life, she doesn't want to leave, and she is hoping to go back in January to help with Vacation Bible School in the villages. We'll see! They took a two hour uphill hike yesterday. I can't even imagine. She said the six clinics have run very smoothly, and she gave shots at all of them. Someone had told me that they couldn't give out prescriptions because they didn't have a doctor, but Julia said this was not the case. They were able to dispense them as planned, and the prescription labels on the zip lock bags were printed in English and Spanish. This is their last day in Entre Rios before leaving for La Paz. I hope they don't have altitude sickness there, and that they get a good change to rest, sight see and fellowship with the La Paz team and with the Sovereign Grace church there.
July 4 at 3:00 PM: This update (slightly edited by me) just came in from Emily Morgan via Tammy Griffith's blog. She heard from her husband Chris, who is on the medical team, this morning. All is going well. The medical team has been very busy going to villages to serve in clinics. They went to one area deep in the mountains where people didn't even speak Spanish! Chris said they spoke an old tribal language, so the team had to employ two translators, one to go from the tribal language to Spanish and the other from Spanish to English! They are seeing quite a few cases of skin problems, scabies and body sores. They also seen a 5 year old boy who was tongue-tied. His tongue stuck to the bottom of his mouth and was unable to talk. They were able to clip the skin on the bottom of his mouth and free the boys tongue! Wow! Later that day, the boy came around showing everyone he could freely move his tongue. Just think of the plans God might have for this little boy! [Virginia's note: This "tight frenulum" condition is hereditary in our family! I had such trouble talking until mine was clipped when I was seven -- it was an instant fix to my speech problems. Many of our children had their frenulums clipped when they were babies.] The medical team is going this morning to another village and will return on Thursday. The team is tired but they are having a wonderful time! Please continue to pray for the medical team, that God would give them strength and endurance the next few days as they continue and finish the clinics.
July 2, 2007 at 2:30 PM: I just checked Tammy's blog for an update -- her husband and daughter are on the construction team, and are calling her on their cell phone. She said that the teams have been eating mainly bread, rice, and potatoes for all their meals. (I hope Julia didn't eat all of her peanut butter granola bars on the plane!) The medical team has been busy doing clinics in the mountain villages, and by now they've probably treated well over a hundred people in the past day and a half. We heard from someone that Julia has been giving shots. I'm sure she's good at that -- she's always been our medical girl around the house and at one time had planned to be an Emergency Medical Technician. We also heard that they love it there and don't want to come home. That's no surprise either! Julia has such a heart for the people of Bolivia, and she's always up for a grand adventure! This picture of the mission house is from Tammy's blog. The construction team is working on an addition to it (second story to part of it?) and is staying there at night. The medical team stays there for the nights that they are in Entre Rios. Some nights they spend out in the villages.
These next four pictures are from Julia's trip in 2005, just to give you a flavor of where they are! You can scroll down the page for their 2007 departure pics, a map of Bolivia, prayer requests, a report from her 2005 trip, and more.
Making balloon animals for the kiddos! The mission church in Entre Rios
A fruit stand in the village Daily life in the neighborhood, goats and all
I read Psalm 74 in my quiet time a day before Julia left, and copied these verses on a card for her because they brought to mind what God would do through the teams in Bolivia:
Have regard for the covenant,
Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame;
The 2007 Entre Rios construction and medical teams leaving Metro Life Church on June 28.
Julia, in the yellow shirt, is on the medical team.
June 28, 2007: My 18 year old daughter Julia is en route to Bolivia!
This is Julia's second trip to Entre Rios,
where Sovereign Grace Ministries has a mission church.
I also have a link to another mom's blog -- she'll get stuff directly from the team!
www.Tammy-Griffith.blogspot.com
~*~*~
The Bolivia teams left Metro Life Church around 2 PM on June 28, 2007.
Stuffing the last few things in the suitcase & s
aying goodbye to Mom, Naomi and Ben
All three Bolivia teams ready to roll!
Travel & Work Plans
- for God's healing grace to work mightily in the bodies and spirits of those who come to the clinics for help
- for flexibility, patience and unity among the team members and their Bolivian coworkers
- for everyone to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit as they find opportunities to share the love and grace of Christ
- for God to open eyes of each team member to truths about Himself, themselves, and the body of Christ that they might not ever realize in the U.S.
- for the on-going work of the mission church in Entre Rios
- for physical endurance and safety during the very strenuous work and travel in Bolivia, where it is winter now
- for protection from malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, travelers diarrhea, altitude sickness (in La Paz) and bites from the "kissing beetle" which carries a nasty disease
- for all the construction, medical supplies, and other luggage to arrive safely