We went to the salt flats of Uyuni with Caz and her parents. Fuimos a la Salar de Uyuni con Caz y sus padres. The views were amazing and we stayed in a hotel made from salt for one night. Las vistas estaba hermosa y quedamos en un hotel de sal por un noche.
We saw flamingoes and lakes coloured by rich minerals. The salt and sand has eroded the rocks over the years to form sculptures and wonderful tree like structures. In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by salt, is an amazing island covered by cacti…
Sand sculpture on the salt flatsOur transport Largo Colorado - the red lakeDean ... or is it Elvis?900 year old cactus on cactus island Train Cementry outside Uyuni
Our Puno mission team got together on Saturday for a debrief and discussion about the trip at our house. We saw some very entertaining video footage of the drama presentations and rehearsals. The team all had the opportunity to share their thoughts on the mission and ideas for the future. This was followed by a delicious BBQ lunch prepared by Hugo and Rodrigo.
This Sunday we were asked to give a short testimony about our time in Puno at church as part of a special night on mission. It was the first time we SPOKE IN SPANISH at the front!!! Whoopie. It felt really good to share and be understood. It’s not quite the same as giving an assembly to 200 sixth formers, but we’re getting there.
What is a refregerio? Well it’s a kinda snack which we give to the kids at Horno K’casa at the end of each day. It is quite an established part of Bolivian life – a mid morning snack … a saltana /spicy pasty if your very lucky … and an afternoon nibble to keep you going til tea time.
Milk and rice with raisins and nutmeg, maize and cinnamon “cakes”, a bread roll and fruit salad in orange juice are just a few of the delicious things we have had in the past few weeks. It helps gives the children something nutritious and filling at least once a day. Many of them do not eat breakfast before school and come to us both hungry and thirsty. A local teacher named Pancho makes the refregerio every day and delivers it to the centre.
We have also started brushing our teeth at Horno K’casa every day after the snack. This is a follow up of a hygiene lesson we had from trainee doctor who came to help. We invented a clever way of keeping the toothbrushes clean and dry using old yogurt pots.
They prepare the refregerio for as little as £2 a day to feed up to 30 kids … it’s amazing how far money goes out here.
Well this month we have been involved in a mission with our church to Puno – just across the boarder in Peru from the 13th to 18th. There was a mixed team of Bolivians and Brazilians – 19 in total. We went to stay with a Peruvian church who wanted us to help with a week long evangelism mission doing street drama and mime.
We arrived after a long 20 hour journey and were placed with a family from the church. They made us feel so welcome and were really interested in our families and life back in UK. We had daily meetings with the team and practiced the dramas. It was great to be part of a team who worked so co-operatively together and got involved 100%. We were responsible for putting together the program for each presentation. Each day we had been invited to give 3 presentations in different locations in the town, colleges, plaza (town squares) and in university departments. Ruth – who usually only gets to play the “goodies” in dramas was cast as a demon and shocked everyone with a dramatic transformation into a “Goth”. There was a mixture of comedy and powerful dramas set to music. Each time a large crowd would gather and stay to listen to the message / testimonies. On the last night we were overwhelmed by the response of the crowd who had been invited to come to the church and find out more about being a Christian.
On the Friday we had a free day with the team and arranged to go and visit the famous floating islands – called the Uros – near to Puno on Lake Titicaca. It was interesting to see the traditional way of life and how they build their reed houses and boats… although they now use recycled plastic bottles to aid flotation and solar panels to capture the sun’s energy…
The families showed us around and the lady who invited Ruth to her house dressed her up in the traditional Ayamara layered skirt and bowler hat.
We had a wonderful time in Puno… even though it was freezing cold at night and we could only take cold showers at 6.30 in the morning!!! So cold you could actually see your own breath in the bathroom… Brrrr.
The group going on the drama evangelism team to Puno decided to do some fund raising. We asked all the people from foreign countries – or had relatives in foreign countries to cook a typical dish to sell at the church.
I made scones!!! with English tea … with milk of course. Other people made tacos from Mexico, apple strudle from Austria, chocolate chip cookies from USA, something strange but spicy from Brazil, and boiled eggs with peanut sauce from Peru. But our scones were a great success and were the first to sell out.
The event was really popular and the funds allowed some students to come on the mission who otherwise would not be able to afford it.
Dean and Ruth's Diary 