A Greeting From A Cockroach

     I awoke to the sound of the pilot’s voice over the intercom. Although my vision was foggy and my eyelids were pretty much stuck together, I caught a glimpse of the majestic Andes’ Mountains out the airplane window. The grand white peaks towered above the surrounding red earth. The mountain’s grandeur is indescribable, but grander yet, in my eyes, was the fact that seeing the Andes meant my 24 hours of travel were almost over. I would soon be on the ground and my body was really looking forward to laying horizontal. As the airplane screeched to a halt on the runway I took a deep breath. Another cross-cultural adventure in my walk of faith with God had just begun.
     A wave of heat and humidity hit me in the face as soon as I got off the airplane. Oh, my goodness! Talk about hot! Praise God, I obtained a visa without difficulty and the immigration official waved me on toward baggage claim, ushering me into another life adventure. Holá Bolivia! I claimed my luggage, cleared customs, and connected with my new family outside the airport. After an enjoyable, amazingly spacious (there were only 3 passengers total in the taxi, a nice change from the cramped cabs in Africa) 30 minute taxi ride, we pulled in front a fair sized, gated, two story house with a sign in front of it reading: Juventud Con Una Misión, Bolivia (Youth with a Mission, Bolivia- YWAM), my new home.
     The base leader here at YWAM escorted me to my room and gave me permission to un-pack, shower, and settle in. I was the first girl to arrive so I earned the privilege of picking my bunk-bed, first. I took a few steps into my new sizeable room and received a greeting from a cockroach. Oh, dear! Forcing the image of the punk cockroach out of my mind, I went about the process of selecting my bed. With heat soaring through my veins, I went directly for the bunk in front of the door, hoping that in that bed there may be some blessed cross- breeze in the middle of the night. I was getting ready to put my sheets on the bed when I looked closely at the window right above the headboard and noted there was no screen. Okay, breeze or not, no screen on the widow, a perfect entrance for insects, particularly mosquitoes…you following me??? I believe my time in Bolivia will be an adventure, but I don’t want malaria to be part of it! Therefore, I ended up settling for the bed in the far corner, near a window WITH a screen.
     I began the un-packing process, but I did not get very far; I unpacked just enough of my suitcase to find a towel, washcloth, showering items, and a change of clothing. The base leader had told me I could flip a switch on the shower apparatus, to get hot water, but I certainly didn’t need hot water, considering I was almost certain that drops of cold water could have boiled on my skin. As the cool shower water reached my skin, a smile of pure satisfaction spread across my face. I stayed in the shower for awhile, until I felt thoroughly cooled off, then I reluctantly turned off the tap. I took my towel, dried, myself, and tried stay cool by picturing the piles of snow I had left behind only hours before. But, before the images of the snow banks could form in my mind, I was wet with sweat again! Yikes!
     Throughout the rest of the day and evening, I worked on un-packing a few more items, I survived and actually enjoyed my first meal, and then headed to bed. I lay in my bed sweating and wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into to. But, you know as they say, “time will tell” and I will do my best to keep you posted during that time. Blessings!