In May, Randy and I took an adventurous trip to Bolivia. The land of Randy's beloved 2 year church mission that he served 50 years ago. We learned about a trip like this several years back, while attending one of his mission reunions. There was a Bolivian speaker, Segundo. He was introduced by a past missionary acquaintance when Randy served, Jim. At the time, we were educated about a humanitarian effort that was organized to help Bolivians live a cleaner (water), healthier (medical expertise), and more educated lives for their families and many communities. It was a nice presentation, and after wards, life went on. We had just gotten home from our mission to Hawaii, and family was our priority.
About a year ago, our dear friends, Laurie and Larry Ball called Randy to ask if he knew Jim Arbuckle. (Randy's missionary friend) They were serving a mission in Minnesota and had been offering humanitarian service for a group called Mano a Mano, from Bolivia. How could we both know Jim? It turns out, Jim has a summer home in Minnesota and a winter home in AZ. He also works closely with Segundo's Mano a Mano, the same humanitarian organization we learned about at the reunion a few years earlier. Segundo is a Bolivian, with roots and family that live there, and is in close contact with the success of Mano a Mano from Minnesota and Bolivia.
About February, Laurie called to see if we were interested in a trip to Bolivia in May. There was a group of 15 going, including Jim and his wife (who had both been there with this group before) and coincidentally, Laurie and Larry were both going. It was a no brainer. Good friends, and back to Randy's mission that impacted his life forever. How could we say no, except that Randy was just finishing radiation treatments. We gave them a "we're pretty sure we're in", with high hopes of not having to worry about the test results.
We knew it wasn't going to be a leisurely, flawless trip. This was Bolivia. A land that looks exactly like the National Geographic's depiction. Traditional clothing, food, celebrations, homesteads, windy dirt roads that connect little communities miles apart, across the Andes mountains. Tropical terrains, jungles, cool altitudes, and plenty of dirt. But breath taking. And humbling as we could see their needs, and the wisdom and love in their eyes.
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