Julia, who is 16, also spent 10 days in Bolivia, but she was way down in Entre Rios near the border of Argentina. Here is what she wrote about it for her Composition I class at Valencia Community College, where she is dual enrolled.

A Love for Bolivia

Julia Knowles

9/29/05

        This summer, I had the privilege of going to Entre Rios, Bolivia, on a construction team with my church. A remote village near the border of Argentina, Entre Rios is so small that we had to take a bus for four hours through the mountains to get there. We packed our bags with eager hearts, not knowing what we would be doing when we arrived. One thing we did know was that there was plenty to be done.

        While there were many aspects of this trip I could discuss, there was one that changed me dramatically. These wonderful people had so little, but they were always so happy. They always greeted us with smiles and small kisses on the cheek. They constantly looked for ways to serve us and were always willing to give up anything they had for us. They were continually amazed that we gave of our time and money to travel over 3,000 miles to come to help them at their mission. They did not understand, however, what a joy it was for us to serve them when they had selflessly served so many others. My team ended up cleaning and painting their mission and church. Painting for ten days straight might not seem like a fun summer to many people, but I had the time of my life and will never forget the experiences I had in Bolivia.

        Countless times, they expressed their gratitude to us for coming to help. I wish that they knew how much they touched the hearts of our team members. Normally, when I thought of mission trips, I thought of what one was giving the other end. I sincerely believe that I took much more from this trip than I gave.

        Everyone was moved in different ways. For me, I will never look at things the way I did before the trip. Before the trip, I didn’t know what truly being selfless was. Raquel, the pastor’s wife in Entre Rios, was seven months pregnant while we were there. That didn’t stop her from being on her feet all day cooking for us and others in the village. I will never look at material things the way I did before. When we gave a child a sticker or a lollipop in Bolivia, the child acted like it was Christmas. Experiencing the children’s excitement and joy over such small items moved me in more ways than I could imagine.

        Now I will never look at a map of Bolivia and not have my heart overflow with love for the country. One item I can assure you I will not miss is the paint; I don’t want to see it ever again!