Friday, September 4, 2009

My favorite memory so far in Bolivia!

By now, I have a thousand wonderful, amazing, and sweet memories of Bolivia already. But one of my favorites and one I already cherish, happened my first week here in Bolivia. A little friend came to live in my tummy (E. Hystolica) not one of the friendlier parasites, but it was God’s way of getting my feet wet! :) Many of the volunteers had arrived and had gathered at the Hogar (orphanage) 45+ minutes from where I live, to celebrated some of the volunteer’s birthdays. But I was in one of the volunteer's bedrooms wrapped in a wool blanket, in a dark room, wondering what God’s plan was for this could be…I was tired, confused, and feeling sorry for myself, when the door opened to my room and light from the hallway filled the darkness. It was Jenna! :)

She was just checking up on me to see how I was doing, noticing I was wrapped in a wool blanket in 31 Celsius, concluded I must have a fever and promptly got me a wet handkerchief. As she handed it to me she asked what else she could do, but I responded, "I’m good" – But she was persistent, ‘no really what can I do to serve you!?’ Taken aback at her genuine desire to help me I again respond, ‘O but Jenna, really you got me a handkerchief, really I’m good.’

But this just wouldn’t do for poor Jenna, she just had to give – (its part of her love language) – and she came over to the side of my bed and took my hand and said, ‘no, Michelle, let me suffer with you!’ & for a moment all the pain was gone, I didn’t notice the fever or the chills, and all my doubt and worry went away…Jenna was Christ sitting on the edge of my bed, letting me know it was going to be alright, and that no pain or worry was too small for God to notice. I sat up in bed and gave Jenna a big HUG and told her that God was working through her in ways that she didn't know...

And as she left the room, she asked, ‘O, I have the rosary on my computer if you’d like to listen to it?’ I laughed, I had tried for the last 20 minutes to say the rosary, but was only able to get through the creed & the first Our Father...Usually my source of consolation I had been unable to say it, (but God knew this as well)...and in a few minutes a Gregorian chant was singing me the rosary and I was curled up in a ball, very content & happier than ever – telling God that there was no where else in the world I’d rather be! :)

Thank you Jenna & all the other volunteers who are always so kind and amazing to me all the time! :D

“Surely if I become a saint, I will be one of darkness – continually absence from Heaven to be the light for those here in darkness…” Mother Teresa (or Jenna! :)