Another tragedy

Thursday, May 21. Daniel and Ines were ready to go back to their house in La Pista. The onions were planted; the patuju was cut along the road; the work for the day was finished. They would return tomorrow. But now it was around 6 o’clock and getting dark. Their two school-aged children, Gustavo and Grabiella, were waiting for them. They mounted the motor bike with 3 year old, Aiden, and 14 month old, Graciela. Travelling to and from the chaco was much easier since they purchased the moto a year and a half before.
It was dark and the first part of the road required concentration since there were many potholes and bumps. Daniel was not a confident driver but took great care when driving. They continued on through Patujusal 1 where the road was more solid, although very narrow.
In front of them they saw the lights of the micro, bringing the people from Yapacani after their day of shopping. Behind them they noticed other lights, probably a truck filled with rice.
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No one knows what really happened next. Many people have their stories. It seems that the micro passed and Daniel kept to his side of the road. Somehow he lost control of the moto and it, with all its passengers fell onto the road. The large truck with the rice continued down the road. Did the driver see the family? The road is very narrow, the grass is very tall, and there were the lights of the micro shining down the road. But Daniel and Ines and little Graciela were no more. The truck had driven over their heads. Aiden lay on the side of the road.
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Ten o’clock at night someone banged vigorously on the door. Finally, Jake woke up and realized someone wanted this attention.
“There has been a terrible accident, very serious. Daniel is dead. Would you please go down the road and pick up Mario and Cecilia and Justino and his wife. I will go ahead and tell them to get ready. And Francisco is fishing. Someone needs to find him, also,” said a shocked and shaking German Diaz. German took the unpleasant task of telling Daniel’s two sisters and his brother that Daniel was gone. Jake picked up the families and drove them to the site of the accident.
Members of the community has secured the site and covered the heads with blankets. German’s wife, Carmen, a shy young woman, made sure that no one messed up the tracks. Someone took young Aiden into the hospital in La Pista.
Nearly one hundred people milled around waiting for the police to arrive from Yapacani. When they arrived, they performed the normal procedures for an accident – took pictures and looked around a little – none of the detailed inspections we expect. Since there were no witnesses at the scene no one could say exactly what happened. However, somehow someone knew what truck was involved.
After the police did their work, the gory task of loading the bodies on to the truck needed to be done. Someone took the hands, the other the feet, and placed the bodies on a blanket. Then the using the four corners, the bodies of Daniel and Ines were placed in the back of the truck with little Gracelia between them. No such things as body bags. Jake, along with the families, drove the bodies into the hospital in Yapacani, arriving at about 3 in the morning.
Jake went to our house in Yapacani while the family took care of the details. Unlike North America, the door to the morgue remains open and the family is able to see what is happening.
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It was noon and I was walking down the street in Cochabamba. I had just finished classes and was going for a walk when my cell phone rang. It was someone saying that Jake wanted to talk to me. He told me about the accident. I immediately went to my house, grabbed a few essentials, and caught a taxi to Yapacani – a five hour ride.
Meanwhile, Jake was getting pieces of the story. The truck belonged to the son-in-law of a farmer from Tarumá, whose name is Paulino Moreda. Rumor says that the driver of the truck was drunk but the Moredas say that this is not true.. That charge is very common in an accident. The truck was at Km. 35 when the police arrived. The driver was jailed, another common occurrence when an accident happens.
Mr. Moreda is a gentle conscientious man, a good farmer, and a fellow believer. He does his best to help the communities in which he farms. He also did his best to help the family. Jake and a friend of Mr. Moreda purchased the coffins and delivered them to the hospital. The intention was that Jake would then drive them back to the farm of one of Daniel’s sisters in Patujusal. However, the put the coffins on a rice truck instead and Jake waited for me to arrive from Cochabamba.
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Saturday morning we arrived at the home of Gregorio, the brother-in-law of Daniel. Already many people were gathered to pay their respects. Some had been there all night. Gregorio left for Yapacani to meet with lawyers and to ensure that the driver did not get out of jail on bail.
I tried to console some of the relatives, especially Ines’ brother and sister-in-law, Felipe and Erselia. They had lost their son a couple of years ago so this was especially hard on them. I sat with Erselia and Felipe’s other sister. Their desire was to visit Daniel and Ines’ house so the truck was filled with people and the trip was made. Will we ever understand the Bolivian customs surrounding death? No. But we also do not feel that we have the right to criticize and judge them. Many tears were shed and candles were lit and positioned by the beds. After some time everyone returned to the house for lunch.
The afternoon wore on. The nichos were being built in La Pista and nothing could happen until they were ready. Conversation swirled around, mostly about the accident, the truck driver, and the responsibilities of the Moredas. It soon became clear that no matter what the Moredas would do, it would never be enough. The food, the drinks, the meat, paying all the funeral expenses were all given and yet some expected that he should be catering to them; that his family should be doing all the work and they be the guests.
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Although this is the fourth funeral we have attended and in which we have participated, we still do not what is ‘normal’. Since Daniel and Ines did not attend church we did not want to interfere with the traditions and wishes of the family. However, Mr. Moreda made it clear that we were to be part of the service since we were an important part of the faith community. So we, along with a young man from La Pista, led a short service. We were told that Daniel and Ines ‘used to believe’ and should, therefore, have a Christian burial. There was no Catholic, only traditional, influence. Although the family expected Mr. Moreda to coordinate the service, some soon took over and did their own thing in the midst of what was planned.
After the service the coffins were loaded onto our truck and that of the Moredos. The people piled into two farms trucks and we all drove the hour’s drive to La Pista for the internment. I read Psalm 23 and prayed for the families, the communities, the truck driver and for the Moredas. I knew that this was not the custom but I felt that we had to show our love for everyone.
Then it was time to put the coffins in the nichos but first all the hardware and the handles had to be removed. Since the bodies were not fit to be viewed, the caskets remained closed and the older members of the family were not able to put their parting gifts inside. Instead these gifts were stuffed in the nichos. Then the bricklayers closed the front of the nichos. During this time the people chatted and drank soda pop. We couldn’t help but comment on the disorganization and confusion that takes place at these funerals.
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Sometimes we wonder why we are invited to be part of these very personal events in people’s lives. Sunday there was no church since some people had gone to Yapacani and the others were still at Gregorio’s house. More traditions, more food. I spent the morning with some of the women of the community. We peeled the vegetables and prepared the midday meal. Jake returned to the Daniel and Ines’ house and had a more interesting experience. First, the people took everything out of the house. The beds were dismantled and placed under a tarp in front of the house. Everything was swept out. After water was sprinkled on the beds they were returned to the house. All the kitchen utensils, the tools, and everything that could be carried was loaded onto the truck and taken to the river to be washed. At the same time another truck of household utensils, farm equipment and clothes was also taken to the river for washing. After this traditional washing, everyone returned to Gregorio’s house for a meal.
Late in the evening the family would burn the old clothes and belongings. We are not sure why this is done but it is part of their tradition. We did not stay for this but instead returned home since we would be back early in the morning to pick up Filipe, Erselia, their five children and the three new members of their family.
Gustavo, Grabiella and Aiden will make their home with their aunt and uncle for now. They will live in Yapacani and attend school there. Ines had said that if she died she wanted Erselia to bring up her children. Erselia said the same to Ines. Erselia takes this commitment very seriously. Although she has a vegetable stand in the market in Yapacani she will give that up so that she can raise the children. Daniel’s sister, Cecilia, lives very close so she will help. We are thankful that these two families, Ines brother and Daniel’s sister, are willing to raise these children.
(Photos to follow when I get to the city)

Unfufilled Expectations

We have lived in the community of Patujusal for four years. When we came we had many dreams and expectations. So did they. The trouble is that most of these expectations have not been fulfilled and that has led to disillusionment for all parties.

Our expectations

Expectation 1: The people would be eager to learn about better health and better nutrition.
Reality: They are happy with their food. They are not that interested in learning to cook new recipes because unless it is cake. They know that an egg a day keeps their children healthy so they feed them that. Chicken and beef are eaten for fiestas. They already know how to cook. They have been doing it for hundreds of years.
Expectation 2: The people would accept our help and our advice.
Reality: We are the strangers. We do not understand their culture. They are not sure that we really know anything about living in the jungle. But they are very willing to have us take them and/or their products into town.
Expectation 3: We could just live in the community in the same way that they do.
Reality: We will never be accepted as full members of the community.

Expectations of the Community

Expectation 1: We have access to funding for their projects, especially machinery and infrastructure such as building roads and bridges and canalizing the river.
Expectation 2: We would buy them the machinery needed to do their farming,
Expectation 3: We would be at their beck and call when they needed to have something done, whether it be bringing them to Yapacani or threshing their rice.
Expectation 4: Anything we did would be free of charge.
Reality: We don’t have that kind of money. We do not have access to government funding for infrastructure projects. And if we asked for money every time we came home, no one would want to see us. This mentality does not jive with our ideas of what we should be doing.

Expectation of the Churches

Expectation 1: We have the money, or the access to money, to build churches for whomever needs one. We should also purchase instruments for the church.
Expectation 2: We will administer the local mission.
Expectation 3: We are missionaries and, therefore, preachers. We should preach every Sunday. If we visit a church, we should preach.
Reality: We are not preachers. I do give the message in our church when I am there but it not top priority. The churches must exist apart from our being there. If they become dependent on us for the preaching, teaching, or money, they will not be able to continue when we leave. This is a difficult concept since many missionaries become much more active in the general administration of the church but these churches operated before we came and are able to continue without our interference. We encourage them and we visit them.

So, after four years the honeymoon is over and we realize that all of us are disappointed. We are disappointed with their lack of initiative; they are disappointed that we do not give them the things they would like.
I am always thankful for my many books. At this time Henri Nouwen’s writings have been uplifting and challenging. This is not about ‘us’ and ‘them’. It’s not about me! It is about working in God’s kingdom. It is about working together in community. No one said it would be easy. It will take time to show them that, despite not giving them money, we do care about them.

Frustrations

When do you know if you are doing the best thing for someone else? After much thought and prayer we decided that we would purchase the combine so that the members of the community would be able to harvest their rice in time. However, things did not go according to plan.
Our rice was ready to harvest the first part of February but, due to the frequent rains, it took 2 ½ weeks to harvest 20 hectares. But harvesting was only the beginning. The rice was slightly moist so needed to be taken to Yapacani immediately so that it could be dried. Due to the rain, the road became impassable and some of the rice was left on the truck and began to overheat. After first getting stuck, the truck broke down and the rice had to be manually moved from one truck to another. Finally, the rice arrived in Yapacani and Jake was able to have it dried, hulled and sold. The other three trucks arrived in a timelier manner but due to low prices, it is in storage.
Each year the price for renting the combine is set by the owners of the machines. New machines work faster and there is less loss. The average price last year in our area was $90.00 per hectare or $100.00 per hectare if the tracks are needed. However, the price is much higher east of our place where there are larger farms -- $120 per hectare or more. We decided that we would harvest in our community for $90.00 per hectare and the community verbally agreed that they would use the machine. After harvesting for two neighbours, our machine was not used because a older, smaller machine came in and was willing for work for $80.00 per hectare. After much discussion with our partner, Alberto, it was decided that we would move the machine out east and harvest there. It was a painful decision but we could not afford to have a costly machine sitting idle but we also could not harvest at $80.00 per hectare.
Of course, after our machine left, the other machine also left for greener pastures and many of the farmers ended up in the same predicament that they were in last year. The rice became too ripe and was difficult to harvest; the price was docked. In spite of everything, all the rice was finally combined.
Although we explained that the combine was a business venture, there is still the idea that, either because we are ‘gringo’ or because we are missionaries, we should be doing things for less, or preferably free. We are frustrated because we know that the new machine does a better job and that the $10.00 per hectare would be easily recovered since the rice does not simply go through the back end of the machine. Many of the neighbours know that also but like the price of the older, less efficient machine.
So what will happen? We do not know. Will the farmers realize that they will never get machines on time if they are not willing to pay for them? Will they realize that they need to work together so that it is worthwhile for a combine to come in to harvest all the little pieces? This year there was a small percentage of the rice land actually planted due to the rain, but what will happen if all the land is planted and the machines are busier?
We pray daily for wisdom – but the wisdom of one is not necessarily the wisdom of another.

Dead Aid

I have just finished an excellent book called Dead Aid by a Zambian economist, Dambiso Moyo. This is not an easy read. It requires concentration and thought as Moyo explains the detrimental effect that aid has had on Africa. The statistics are startling. She states that in the past 50 years over more than US $1 trillion dollars in development related aid has been transferred from rich countries to Africa. And yet “the proportion of the people in sub-Saharan Africa living in abject poverty increased to almost 50%. Between 1981 and 2002, the number of people in the continent living in poverty nearly doubles, leaving the average African poorer today than just two decades ago.” She also states that the life expectancy has stagnated and adult literacy across most African countries has plummeted below pre-1980’s levels.
This book is about foreign aid at a national level, not charity based aid. But as I read it I see many similarities in the results, whether it be thousands of dollars in charity aid or millions, billions, or trillions of dollars in national aid. The results are the same. It is easier to pocket aid money than investment money. Aid money is not as traceable as investment money. Aid money encourages people to wait for more aid rather than taking initiative to do things on their own. Also, emergency relief in not included her assessment of aid. This would include onetime donations to victims of natural disasters.
Moyo starts her book by saying that we live in a culture of aid. “Rich” people genuinely want to help “poor” people. It takes so few American or Canadian dollars to ‘help’ people in third world countries. But it is imperative that we consider if we are enabling or dis-enabling the people whom we are trying to help. A number of years ago someone told me about a wonderful mission project. Each year a group would go to the same place in Mexico. They would repair houses, purchasing all the needed supplies and taking along their own tools. Each year there would be a new list of projects. The residents of the village learned to do something to improve their village. They learned to make their list for each year. If this group no longer comes to do the repairs, what will happen to these houses? Have the people learned to do their own maintenance or have they learned to make a list? We build houses – do we enable them to build their own or do we give them a house?
This past week we faced the impact of the aid mentality. Jake attended the regular monthly meeting of the community. Much to his surprise, one of the items on the list was “Analizar misionario”. Now why would this be an agenda point? Are other people in the community analysed? The point being made is that we do not help the community. We do not give them project money. We are not giving them the things they would like – machinery and infrastructure money for roads, bridges and river canalization. The things that we consider important – walking beside them day by day, delivering babies, fetching the nurse, taking women to the hospital to have their babies, the micro-credit program. These things are just ‘little’ things and they want big things – and they want them free. Why? Because they, too, know the aid mentality. Although we can explain that this type of freebie aid does not work in the long run, they do not care. They want the money for themselves NOW. Let the future take care of itself. How we will address this is a question we have yet to answer. We pray, and we ask you to pray for us, that we will have the wisdom to deal with this situation.

Queshwata yachani

For the people of Patujusal and many other communities, Quechua is their mother tongue. Many of the older people speak only Quechua; and most of the middle aged and younger people also speak both Quechua and Castellano. Because I love to learn and because I want to be able to communicate with the people, I am dedicating this year to learning this language.
Quechua is one of the Incan languages. There are over 20 different types of Quechua so there is not a standard for either the written or the spoken language. In some places the “j” sound will be used; in others the “h” sound. Spelling is a challenge! The language is built like a train with the engine being the root word and the cars being suffixes. When I asked one of my teachers how many suffixed there were he said that he had a book with 350 – and that was not all.
When we learned Castellano we found that there were many words similar to English or French. This is not so in Quechua so memorizing vocabulary is a large part of my day. Quechua grammar and sentence structure is more like English so that is a bit easier. Everything is connected so you can say a whole sentence in one word. Technically, I am learning Quechallano – a combination of Quechua and Castellano. Many of the words that are used did not exist in Incan times so the Castellano word has been adopted.
Language training means that I am spending a lot of time in Cochabamba. I am very thankful that one of my teachers has a place above the city and that I am able to stay in a postage-stamp house on that property. There is also a childrens’ home here. I have a wonderful view of the city but rotten transportation lines. It takes me 45 minutes to get down to the school but usually I travel to school with Gladys and take the bus or trufi-taxi home. I was able to purchase an internet flash drive so I now have internet in my little house. Although a bit slow, it gives me the flexibility to use it when I wish. I also have Skype and that is the way I can communicate with Jake since our phone reception in the country is still not that reliable.
My plan is that I will spend 3 to 4 weeks in Cochabamba learning the language, return to the community to use it for a week or two, and then continue in school. Either I go back or Jake will come here half way through each session. We will try it and see how it works.

God's World is Small -- and He is Good!

This past week we spent at the ECHO (Education Concerns for Hunger Organization) Conference in Florida. We had attended this conference 4 years ago as we travelled to Bolivia and we now returning after four years of experience.

Living in a foreign country has its challenges and we have been suffering from cultural fatigue for the past few months. We were wondering what we were doing in Bolivia, if we were effective, if we should move on -- what should be we do?

Coming here was not without its challenges, also. I booked the trip in September.We planned to go to Iowa and Minnesota to visit Jake's family and attend a wedding and then fly on the the ECHO conference in Florida. The night before we left I checked the computer for a receipt for the trip but saw instead that all our flights were cancelled -- and there was no receipt. After a late night trip to the airport, we spent hours on two computers trying to arrange flights. Finally, we put one on hold at a price that was far beyond our means and our credit card limit. The next morning we were the first in line at the American Airlines counter and were told that the prices had changed -- they had gone up. However, by combining our flights the agent was able to get us a flight for a semi reasonable rate -- one that would fit on the credit card! Words could not express the gratitude we felt as we made the final arrangements and boarded the plane.

Whenever I come to a conference I am curious about the attendees. The first surprise was to find that there were six people at this conference associated with out little rural church way out in Alberta, Canada, attending a little known conference in Florida. Ad is a missionary in Haiti sponsored by our church, Jake and I are still members of WoodyNook, Andrew's girlfriend attends that church as does David and his family. It was great to spend time with people with similar ideas and to have the 'in' on the ECHO farm.

But that was not all. EFCCM is not a large organization either. The attendee list contained two delegates, Melvin and Priscilla from the Ukraine associated with EFCCM. One of the speakers, a former ECHO intern,Angela. and her husband have recently joined the EFCCM team as well.

The conference was a real blessing. It re-invigorated us, gave us a renewed perspective on what we are doing, gave us ideas for change, and gave us the support from fellow delegates. The devotions and singing were especially meaningful and many tears were shed. We feel blessed as we head back to Bolivia. Thank you, ECHO.

I encourage all those who read this to check out the ECHO link on our blog.

Is the honeymoon over?

We have now been here for four years and the honeymoon is over. We are realizing the differences in expectations between ourselves and some of the members of the community. It seems like some of them accepted us into the community so that they could benefit from the ‘freebies’ that the gringos would bring. Now that they are realizing that there are no freebies, they do not see any advantage to having us in the community.
This all started in May when the men of the community asked Jake about buying a combine. Jake arranged a day to meet to discuss the combine but no one came. Now, this was not unusual for Bolivia – rice harvesting was over so why think about a combine in May when you didn’t need it until October? There were some men who showed some interest in purchasing a combine. However, they wanted 90-100% financing and we cannot afford to do that. We also do not think that it is wise for one of them to be so far in debt.
Instead we decided to enter this as a business and to look for someone with whom to partner, someone with a good business sense, someone who was honest, and someone who would work in our area. The man we are working with is from Santa Cruz and seems to have a good head and a good heart. He bought the cat a couple of years ago and had it paid off in a year and a half. He has a chaco in one of the neighbouring communities as well as a house in Santa Cruz.
So in September, when the men asked Jake what was happening, he said that he was working on something but would not tell them all the details. Some of the men of the community became very angry and the ‘carpet bagging’ started. There were two vocal men who stated they were talking for the rest. If they were we do not know but no one asked them to be quiet. The long and the short of it is that some do not feel that they are receiving any benefits that they feel deserve and that other are getting more than others. They feel that only the Diaz family is benefitting from the tractor. Somehow they forget that two years ago they were walking or biking 18 kilometres to see if there might be a tractor or a combine available – and often there wasn’t. Now they just go 6 kms. and arrange the tractor work with Teodoro. But it is not money in their pocket so they don’t see any benefit. The health program, the transportation to and from the doctor—all the little things – those “were just little things and didn’t count”. They also thought that Jake should come to them for approval on anything that he wanted to do with anyone in the community and that no one should get more than the other –unless, of course, that someone happened to be them. They also did not want Jake to help other communities.
Thankfully, there are some wonderful people from the community who showed their support for us. We decided to purchased the combine as an investment and still want it to be available to the people in this zone. The rest of the time it can work in other areas. We should be able to keep it working 10 months of the year. There are lots of people in the neighbouring communities who are thrilled that there will be a combine in the area and we feel we made the right decision. At the last meeting there was an overwhelming show of support. Sometimes it takes a crisis to bring everything together and into perspective. We are so thankful for wonderful friends in the community who have stood by and supported us. They truly are a gift of God.
Things in agriculture have changed since we arrived. The first year was a disaster with low rice prices, the flooding and the difficulties it presented. Most of the people had small plots, the largest being 10 hectares but most being 3-5 hectares so the combine operators didn’t really want to come that far for so little work.
The next year, there was no flooding because the river changed, the weather was good, the production was up, and the price rose substantially. A lot of money was made and consequently, many of the farmers cleared more land to plant more rice to make more money. The majority of the neighbours acquired motorcycles and life looked good.
But last year brought drought conditions and production was way down. Because there was no rain, the weeds grew well. When the rice was ready, there were no combines availableso the rice became too dry. Add to that, the price fell and many were not able to sell their rice. Now is the time to plant another crop and many still have not sold their crops from last year. In other areas, because it has been a wet winter, the road is still too wet to take out the rice.
Then there is another side. With the increase of land in production, many of the farmers borrowed money from a government program called MAPA. Some also borrowed money from banks. And they borrowed some from Jake. When all was said and done, some were not able to pay all their loans. Nor did they pay the operators for combining or the cat operator for clearing the land. In the community of Tarumá, many took out loans to clear more land. Now they are caught. It is time to plant rice and there is no money. When we started the credit program we explained that credit could be your best friend or your worst enemy. For those who did not manage their money well, it has become their enemy. What will happen, we do not know. Maybe much of the land that was cleared will not be planted. There will be growing pains as the people learn how to live in a different economy.

Bridges and Roads

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We have lived in this community for 3 and a half years and have seen the condition of the road ebb and flow with the seasons. This spring , it is at its worst.

Year #1 was a series of community blockades that restricted our movement and led to many frustrating times trying to obtain permission to come and go through the neighbouring community. Thanks to their diligent blockading, the road in our community stayed in relatively good shape.

Year #2 brought increased traffic since many of the local farmers increased their rice production, the farming was more mechanized, and more people were working land further into the jungle. That meant more road traffic and our poor roads were eaten away by the heavy rice trucks. Also, the logging company moved on and the little maintenance that was done ceased.

Year #3 – a new gravel (rock) road to within three kilometres of the gate. But more problems with those three kilometres. No one was maintaining the road. People were moving the rice while the roads were wet. The dry season was wetter than normal so the road never dried out. The result was a very rough path, full of pot holes.

Of course, there is always talk of fixing the road and of installing bridges. This spring it happened. One new bridge and four culverts have been installed in the three kilometres leading to the main road. After a couple of weeks the road grader arrived and started to raise the road. As is normal, it has now broken down and is in for repairs. The local government says that it doesn’t have the money for the repairs so one of the farmers from Taruma has lent them 4000 bolivianos so that the grader can be fixed. He and his family own three chacos and have soy ready to be harvested so he sees the need for a better road.

It would cost about $1000US to put gravel on the road in Patujusal 2. Each land owner would pay about $70.00 -- about what one would receive for 2 fanagas (360 kilos) of rice. Most farmers have over 5 hectares of land mechanized and should get between 18 and 25 fanagas per hectare for a total of 90 to 245 fanagas. It would take only 2 fanagas to gravel the road but the majority decided that they would rather not gravel the road but instead, wait for a year or so to see if the local government – or someone else – will do it for them. You can imagine what the road will look like next year!

We hear that they will asphalt the first 45 kilometers in 2010. Should we count on it?

New Life

It was about 10 in the morning and I was just finishing coffee and conversation with a friend from Santa Cruz. The neighbour, Francisco, arrived on his motorbike and asked if I would come because his wife was having the baby. She wasn't due for another three days but babies come when they are ready. It took a few minutes to find Jake since he had the keys to the truck, but soon I left with a blanket, some towels, and a scissors -- just in case.

I came to the house to find Carmen standing beside the bed and Francisco, holding a very newborn baby girl while the two other boys, Fanor and William, peeked through the cracks in the siding of the house.

Gingerly, we helped Carmen to the bed. She was having problems expelling the placenta. Francisco had already cut the cord so there was a chance that the cord would slip back into Carmen's body. To prevent this, he cut a length of string long enough so that one end could be tied to the end of the umbilical cord and the other end to Carmen's toe. Very inventive and simple!

After insuring that everything with the baby was fine and that she was wrapped up in a clean, warm towel, I headed off to La Pista to get the nurse, praying that she would actually be there. Thankfully, she was and she willingly came back with me.

Santitation and cleanliness is an issue in the Western world. How would one function in a house with a dirt floor and questionable sanitation? The evidence of the birth had been covered with fresh dirt and Francisco had prepared water with herbs to clean the baby and Carmen. The IV was hung with a piece of string to the wood rafter, a used pop bottle was used for breathing, and soon the placenta was expelled. No, sanitation was not the standard we expect in Canda and most women of the developed world would never want to deliver a baby under these conditions. I was impressed by the care of both Francisco and the nurse to keep things clean.

Soon Mother and baby were clean and warm in their bed, the nurse returned to La Pisa, and I went home to prepare dinner for Jake.

(This is a picture of Abigail at 2 months of age. My picture of her taken an hour after her birth disappeared somewhere between the camera and the computer.)

Faith of our Fathers

It was 80 years ago when my dad, 25, and his eighteen year old brother left Holland and arrived in Alberta on a cold, snowy spring day. Their expected work did not transpire but Dad was able to secure work at another farm within a couple of weeks. He worked on that farm for five years until he and his brother were able to purchase their own land.

This summer our families joined together to celebrate these two events -- their arrival and the purchase of the farm. My brother resides on the original farm so we were able to celebrate there, and a celebration it was.

Although I had known the facts of their immigration, the loss of my uncle's hands and the subsequent events, the impact hit me this summer. Imagine a young man in the prime of life having only stumps where his arms once were. Imagine these stumps not being long enough even to maintain basic bodily cleanliness. Imagine being faced with deportation and loosing a dream of a new life in a new land. And also imagine the responsibility of the older brother who had already lost four other siblings as children and only had this brother and his handicapped sister left. He had promised that he would take care of this brother and he took this very seriously until the day he died.

But what remains is the heritage of faith and loyalty. Our Sunday worship centered on Joshua 4 and family members laid a stone on a pile, illustrating the faith of our fathers. What a witness to these two men and to our God.

We have chosen to move to Bolivia and we experience many of the same problems, the same challenges, that they did but how much easier we have it. We went for different reasons. They saw a land of opportunity in which they could provide for their families. We left for a calmer lifestyle and an opportunity to bring a world and life view to people in Bolivia that centers on God, his world and our place in it. We have age and experience. We left our children, not our parents. We have enough finances to purchase the things we need and many of the wants. We have instant communication while they wondered if their wartime letters reached their aging parents.

And yet one thing remains constant. We all know and experience the constant presence of our Lord through the Holy Spirit. We are confident that God guides our lives, that he turns our mistakes,our sins, our errors for good. We have confidence in his promises that he will never leave us or forsake us, that he will be with us always. That is the reason we can live where we live and do what we can do.

We become frustrated. We wonder what we are doing. We question how our actions affect the community. People ask how it is going and how long we will stay. We don't always know how to answer. But we do know that God is control and that he has brought us to this place. We can only trust that he will also guide our blundering actions to show his love and his kingdom. I think it was Henri Nouwen who, when talking about the work of missionaries, said that we must always remember that God was here before us and I also know that he will be here after we leave. We thank him for the opportunity to show a small part of his love and his grace to this little part of the world.

Farming Challenges

This year has been anything but normal. I expected to experience the January flooding but saw dusty roads. Good for the drivers but bad for the farmers.

Before we left in December we already knew that many of the rice crops planted earlier in September and October did not germinate. The plan was that these crops could be harvested in January. Other farmers planted in December, planning to harvest in April. But the rains still not come, resulting in poor production from lack of moisture.

Water in the fields serves two purposes. The first is moisture for the crops. Rice does not need to stand in water to grow and we could get into the technicalities of aeration and the water capacities of soils but I will leave that to the experts. The second advantage of standing water is that the grass seeds do not germinate when everything is wet. So, when we have a dry season such as we just experienced, the rice does not grow as well and the grasses and weeds quickly surpass it.

Now add another problem -- no combines available when the rice was ready to harvest. Many of the combine operators worked on the other side of Santa Cruz harvesting the larger fields of soy beans. Considering payment is made per hectare it makes good business sense to work the larger fields. However, that meant that there were no combines available for the smaller fields. There is a very small window for harvesting rice at its prime. When it is dry, the rice shatters when hulled and the value drops significantly. Without a combine, most of the rice in our area was harvested when it was much to dry. In many fields the grasses continued to grow and when the combines were finally available, there was too much grass and too little rice so the fields were not harvested.

Then add the third problem. The value of rice has dropped since last year. Farmers based their profit estimates on the price of the previous year and are now very disappointed. The general price has dropped and then there is the dockage for the rice being too dry. And that is if you are able to sell your rice. We have ours in storage because no one was buying. Some farmers have stood in line for two or three days just waiting to sell rice.

The farmers who planted 'chaco' rice, which is harvested by hand, were able to harvest on time and get a good price. But too many have experienced the ease of mechanized farming and decided that they would do it the easy way. Sadly, the easy way doesn't always bring a profit so many will be experiencing a very thin year financially.

Farming, no matter where it is, is a next year occupation. In spite of the problems, the rice will be planted again next fall with hopes of more rain and better prices.

Adios Mi Amiga Balentina

7:30 p.m. A knock on the door. Ángel, one of the neighbours, looking shocked and slightly teary. Would we please take his Mom and Dad and himself to Yapacani? His aunt was killed in a motorcycle accident – Balentina.

Reaction to this type of announcement is disbelief and immediate action. Within half an hour we were on the road with Ángel’s family and some of the neighbours. Still, it did not seem real. Arriving in Yapacani at 10:30 we found family and friends surrounding the casket. It was real. My friend had died. Only the day before we saw her washing clothes at her home in the chaco – the familiar large smile and the wave as we drove past, not knowing that we would never see her again.

Balentina and her family returned to the city on Monday morning. She was walking along the road close to the bridge on the east end of town. (For you who have been here that is the bridge close to our corner.) A motorcycle passed her and hit her in the side with the handle bars, causing her to fall head first on to the road and roll three times. Reports say that she got up and immediate fell again, this time backwards. From then on we are not clear what happened but she was taken to the Japanese hospital (a good private hospital) in San Juan but they sent her immediately to Santa Cruz. There she died from her injuries and the body was taken by ambulance back to Yapacani. The driver of the motorcycle spent the night and the next day in the police station. He hired a lawyer, who wanted Zacarius, Balentina’s husband, to sign a settlement immediately. A cousin suggested that he sign nothing and we concurred.

Because Balentina’s mother lives in Sucre, the funeral did not take place until Wednesday – a long wait for Bolivia. In the meantime, family and friends visited the room in which Balentina lay in her coffin. Each visitor brought something – food, candles, soda pop, coca leaves, or cigarettes. Many of the Catholic or traditional customs were observed – the lighting of the candles around the coffin, the spilling of the soda pop or chicha, the three taps on the side of the coffin, the black tops or shawls, the new shawl and food in the coffin, the washing of the clothes in acid and then burning them.

Zacarius has a very strong family circle and their support was evident. They were more accustomed to death and know what normally was done, according to their culture. Also, they are a great support for Zacarius and his daughters Erlinda, Nilda, MarieLyn and his son, Alvaro.

Yesterday was the funeral. We bid Adios—to God -- to Balentina. She was a lady who always expressed a great interest in the church although she was not comfortable attending church in Yapacani. She would attend special services at the church in Patujusal. But that doesn’t always tell the story. As we visited, I spotted a well used Bible in the house. I have no doubt that she and children used it. I believe that God takes each of his children where they are at and that, Balentina with her child like faith, has a place with him.

I will miss her. I will miss her big smile, her wonderful warm hugs, her openness, the demonstrations of love for her husband and her children, the conversations. But I will remember her fondly and will never look at a piece of embroidery without thinking of her.

A Dios, Balentina.. God bless you.

Taking your life in Your Hands

For those who have never travelled to other countries, the traffic in Bolivia may be a bit intimidating. So let me tell you a few of the ‘guidelines’ that might be useful if you decide to drive here. It really isn’t that hard. Just believe that you have the right of way, act like it, and drive a bigger vehicle. There has been a huge increase in traffic, both in the city and the country. I am sure that most have received their licenses in the Crackerjack or Corn Flakes box! There are also more women driving motorcycles, vehicles and even tractor.

1. There are no stop signs and those that exist have no meaning. Maybe you should stop, maybe not. Best just proceed.
2. You usually drive on the right side of the road. But if the left side is smoother, drive there until there is oncoming traffic. Or if the traffic is moving too slow for you and there is on-coming traffic, feel free to use the shoulder.
3. If there is a one way street and you just need to proceed a little ways down it, do so. The one coming traffic will move, although they will scold you by beeping their horns.
4. Turning left – first, do not assume that the person to your right will not decide to make a left turn. He will wave his fingers indicating that you are to let him move in front of you. Second, it is unlikely that if there are two people who wish to turn left, that they will form a line. Rather, they will both approach the intersection side by side and proceed to make their turn.
5. On a gravel road you do not expect the other driver to pull over into his own lane when he meets you. Maybe he will move a foot or two. It works to stop and just fold your arms indicating that you are not moving.turn when they consider it safe.
6. When someone peeps the horn it may mean that: a) get out of my way. b) I am here, c) Do you want a ride in my taxi?, d) Hi, e) Didn’t you notice that the light changed a quarter of a second ago?, f) Move!
   
7. When you pass, try to ensure that there is enough room. But it there isn’t the on-coming traffic will move over for you.
8. If you are entering a busy intersection, just enter and slowly merge. Either you will get in or you will wait. It depends who backs down first.
9. If you need to need to stop to go into a store, just double park.
10. In the smaller towns, park where your vehicle fits. Don’t worry if you are nearly on the road. Better there than getting blocked in by parking ‘correctly’.

Most of all – be alert and have fun! No one wants to be involved in an accident.

A new year starts

After a long trek across the Americas we arrived safely home in Bolivia. We are always grateful for the ease at which we can traverse the globe. After a couple of days in Santa Cruz we headed back to Patuju with the truck and the quad, thinking that we if the roads were flooded we would be able to get home. However, we were shocked by the lack of rain and lack of moisture for the crops. No water – no flooding!

There had been very little rain since we left five weeks ago. The rice is showing stress but the weeds are growing well. Although there was some rain it wasn’t sufficient for the rice. The impact that this will have on the economy of this area is uncertain.

But things have changed and the rain has come. Again, we wonder if there is enough. 2 ¾ inches in North America would last for quite some time but not so in Bolivia. However, it has been raining off and on for the past week and the rain has soaked in. For our rice, which is just flowering, this rain has been a blessing.

Being farmers, there is much complaining! Although the rice price is much lower than it was last year, it is still higher than it was the first year we lived here. Like everyone else, they get used to the higher price and feel that they are in a bad situation when the prices lower.

In spite of the lack of rain the weeds continued to grow, and I have a couple of weeks of work cleaning the flower gardens in front of the house. Grass is the dominant weed and each one needs to be taken out by the root and since the ground is moist, the roots come out easily. The problem is not the weeds but the ants. They attack anything that disturbs their home so feet and hands are easy targets.

Jake tried to hook up the solar panels again but again something blew so we will have to send both controls back to USA for repair. Frustrating!!! Hopefully someday everything will be hooked up and working. For now, when the sun shines, we have enough for lights and for the computer. It is sufficient and we are thankful for what we have.

We Are Legal!

After eight years - depending on who you talk to - the communities of Patujusal 2 and Taruma have the title to their land. When these communities are started the people 'squat' on the land since there is no means by which to get title. There is also the legal aspect that this probably is part of the national reserve but no one will say that it is illegal to take reserve land. As the communities are settled, the work on legal status is started. Do I understand it? No.

Last Wednesday we saw a parade of motos, bikes, and people on foot heading to Taruma. Quickly we learned that the titles were to arrive that day. A delegation from Santa Cruz was coming to present them. There was not a quorum for the meeting in Patujusal 2 to arrange for a meeting with the delegation so their title was delivered to the president. However, Taruma held a grand fiesta to which we were invited.

The title is a document that gives a certain number of hectares to the sindicato. It does not give each person a title to their own land. All our land is held communally and the members of the community have the right to decide what is happening on each other's land, including if the land can be sold. In some sindicatos there are laws saying that only a certain number of hectares can be cleared each year. Others, such as Patujusal 2, does not want any land sold to people who do not live in the community; that is, to people who live in Yapacani or Santa Cruz and will rent out their land.

Before the title was handed to the officials, the man from INRA (the government agency that regulates land titles) carefully explained what was on the document and explained that it is the wish of the government tha the people take care of the lands for their children and their granddchildren. That fits in with our vision for these communities.

Now that the community title is in our hands, the next step will be the divison of each sindicato into separate parcels and obtaining titles for each parcel. When -- and I am not holding my breath -- this happens, the families can obtain credit from the bank.

We are glad that we live in a legal community.

Our first Workshop

It has taken two and a half years but we are finally ready to host workshops for the members of the surrounding communities. Our first workshop was led by our friend, Dr. Bill Janecke. He is a veterinarian from Iowa who works out of Santa Cruz with World Concern. All of the people have some Creole chickens running around. These are a hardy variety that does not require the same care as the chickens produced for meat. They produce fine eggs and although the meat is very tough, it is also tastier than the mass produced birds. However, these birds are still susceptible to disease and need care in order to grow and reproduce successfully.

The morning was spent getting acquainted with the people and their communities. This is essential to facilitate successful workshops. Following lunch, Bill and another Bolivian vet gave a short course on chickens and then we all went to the neighbours to actually vaccinate.

People from seven communities attended this workshop and there was a strong indication that they want more information on animal production, fruit production, vegetable gardening, and beekeeping. Women want to learn how to knit, sew, and make clothes. Their husbands want them to learn how make cake!

Transportation Bolivian Style

One of our aims is that the people of the community make enough money from their crops to provide the necessary things for their families. This is the reason that we started the microcredit project. One way we have determined the success of this project is seeing the changes and one of the most noticeable advances is the 125 cc.motorcycle, the main transportation for the people in the chaco. This moto provides a means for the men to get back and forth to their farms in a timely manner. They can also take also their families, their seed, their seeder, their food and anything else that they need for their stay.

When we moved here two and a half years ago there was only a couple of men who had motos in our community. Now everyone but two own their own transportation and traffic has increased down the road. We do not need to transport people to the doctor, except in the case of pregnant ladies ready to have their baby. Men make a trip to Yapacani in a little over than an hour and a half, rather than spending 8 hours for a return trip on the micro. Men who didn't drive a moto six months ago are now cruising past with their whole family accompanying them.

A Changing Landscape

When we decided to move to Bolivia we thought that we were moving to the jungle and that things would remain relatively primitive. But you cannot stop progress.

Four years ago each farmer was cultivating 2-4 hectares of land by hand. This is called ‘chaqueado’ farming. We were told that mechanized farming was not allowed in this area but this is Bolivia and the ‘guidelines’ are just that. Each year our neighbours have cleared more land, first by hand and recently renting a caterpillar to do the work for them.

So we joined them, reluctantly. We don’t like the impact of the machinery on the soil but we would not be able to do any experimentation unless we cleared some of our own land and started growing rice.

But we still could not be ‘normal’. Instead of simply brushing all the trees into a long row or ‘cordon’ and then burning them, we buried the trees and covered them with soil. Hopefully, this will provide nutrition as they decompose. We are not sure how the removal of that much top soil will affect the rice production but we will see.

Now instead of looking out at all the native bush I look out over our land, and the neighbour’s land, and the next neighbour’s land and so on. We plan to plant trees along the property line and also on top of one of the cordons. Yes, it looks naked right now but just wait a year!

Waiting in line

Oh, how funny! A shortage of diesel in Alberta! We love it!

It is November and it is time to harvest the soy and seed the rice. That means diesel! As many of you know, there was a complete shut down of deliveries of diesel, especially to more rural areas, during September. One the 'incidents' had died down, every returned to normal but there still is a great diesel shortage.

Our little truck uses diesel. We went into Yapacani, hoping that there would be diesel. We had some in a jerry can but things were getting pretty tight. It seems like one gas station would have diesel and one had to listen around town to find out which station would be open that night. Km. 9 was the station so off we went. Teodoro and Geraldo were already in line. Teodoro brought 4 - 200 liter barrels to the station at 8 a.m. and was waiting for the station to start pumping at 7. He thought we would have diesel by 8 or maybe a little later. Both he and Geraldo would have to be there when they were pumping since there was a limit of 2 barrels per person. Many of the people had brought their containers or their vehicles and left them in line. Everyone took turns watching each other's containers. Jake returned at 9 p.m. No diesel.

The next morning we went again to the station to find Teodoro and Geraldo still waiting in line. What do we do? Go to Santa Cruz and chance getting diesel there? We had a friend coming through that said there were station pumpind diesel in Montero, midway between Yapacani and Montero. We decided to try it. If nothing else, we could leave the truck at our friend in Montero and take a taxi to Santa Cruz. When we came to Montero, the wife of Zenon Flores graciously sold us their jerry can of diesel so that we could make the trip. When we returned in the evening we visited with them and they urged us to take their remaining diesel also, saying that they lived in town and were able to get diesel much easier than we could. What great friends! With that diesel we were able to get back to Patujusal (we would have to spend the night waiting in line of we wanted more) and then again to Yapacani.

We bought two barrels -- one had a crack in it -- but we now have one barrel of diesel. It took waiting two nights in line, a couple of hours each time, to get the barrels and the truck filled but we feel comfortable that we have enough for a couple of months.

And Teodoro? He got his 4 barrels that night and returned to buy more the next night. They are stockpiling so that they will have diesel for their tractor but they use 1 barrel each day.

Another Good Crop

Another harvest season is complete. The second soy crop appears to be better than last year, with yields of 2 to 3 tonnes per hectare. Although the price has weakened, our neighbours were still able to profit from their investment. They are paying back their short term loans and are investing their money in the clearing of more land.

When we reflect over the past couple of years we see many changes, the greatest being the amount of land that is being cleared for the mechanized production of rice and soy. Last spring most of the families in the community acquired a motorcycle, some purchased houses in Yapacani, one purchased a truck, and two purchased tractors.

Sad to say, the truck was not a good investment since the motor quit soon after purchase and Mario does not have the extra $1000 to fix it. He maxed out his loans with us so we were not willing to advance any more money. He will wait until he gets the profits from his soy, then fix the truck. His wife wanted to buy a house rather than the truck; I think she will have to wait another year for her house.

The two tractors in the community have relieved the tension over lack of equipment for planting and harvesting. Tomas and his sons purchased a new New Holland tractor with a sprayer and disk in the spring. Teodoro, his son, did custom disking and spraying this year. They have now added a seeder to their line of equipment and hope to add a different type of disk and a chimungo, a wagon for hauling rice and soy from the field. We have noticed the tractor hauling people out of the mud also!

It is good to see progress. We know that with progress comes problems but that is all part of the challenge.