Chalice: Notes from the field...

It's been nearly one month since I returned home to Halifax, NS, in this beautiful country of Canada......still, I haven't been able to stop thinking about "Bolivia" (aka: all the things I now associate with my time in Bolivia). My mind may be occupied with one thing or another for a time, but "Bolvia" never fails to come back to me throughout my day. This is the photo that's been on my desktop since I got back... ...I can imagine I'm still sitting there in the Sports Complex at the Parish in Yapacani, and Fran is taking my picture :) All this is to say that it's been on my mind, and I've been talking about it a LOT (my roommates haven't complained yet...but I'm just waiting for it to happen...). I was talking to my good friend, Sharon, and she was so motivated by my experience that she wanted to help. One of our goals from the Tour is to find sponsors for 50 children from Chalice's Sponsor Site in Yapacani. So far we&

Karin (photographer) from our Solidarity Tour has just posted more (amazing!!) photos from our Tour... www.karinlocke.com She has documented: - One of the houses being built - Sports and games with the children in Yapacani - Teaching the locals how to crochet with plastic bags - Teaching English to the students - Hair cuts at the salon - a visit to the Soup Kitchen for Seniors and - a peek inside the beautiful church in Yapacani, Maria Auxiliadora (Mary Help of Christians) Absolutely beautiful photos....

When asked what MOVED them most about the Solidarity Tour, one participant commented: "The welcome ceremony in Yapacani. The whole community was sitting there waiting for us. Fr Arturo had pumped them up so much! Erica's speech was particularly moving; I didn't understand it in Spanish, but her emotions came through so strongly. The relationship was built from that moment." To see Erica's photo and more... become a friend of "Chalice Solidarity Tour" on Facebook! www.facebook.com

Saturday, February 25th Okay, back on schedule with our Tour. The next day to share with you was our visit to Chalice's Sponsor Site in La Paz: Guadalupe. If your sponsor child's ID begins with GDL, this is his/her home! When I think of this day, my first thought is of fresh flowers. I have never had a lei made of FRESH flowers...they are so beautiful, and (this may sound strange) it feels really good when you're wearing one. The original jewelry from Eden, I suppose... Such beautiful signs! I brought two home with me... one is now by my desk at work, and the other one at home. In Latin America, the children think of their sponsors as Godparents, or "padrinos y madrinas". It's incredible how loving these children are... ¡Abrazos! MaryAnne works for Chalice as the International Manager for Latin America. Can you see the confetti that she was blessed with upon arrival? We walked into our gathering place to find it was jam-packed with costum

For lack of a better post... or just for lack of my own post... :) Seriously, you have to take a look at Karin's 2nd blog post. The photos are amazing, and the stories will bring you right into Yapacani with us! You'll read about our Rock Star welcome....delivering a wheelchair to an 82-year-old woman who had a stroke and (until now) was being moved around in a wheel barrel (THIS WAS PURCHASED THROUGH OUR HOUSING PROJECT)....delivering sponsorship benefits to the families....even a cat fish! http://www.karinlocke.com/blog/2012/3/13/bolivia-solidarity-tour-02-a-warm-welcome.html

What a welcome it was! On February 19, the children and their families greeted us with BIG smiles, kisses, and dancing. Take a peek - the music will get your feet moving! This celebration was held in the Don Bosco Sports Complex, which was a Community Project of Chalice's. The Complex is always in use - for anything from soccer games to Saturday Oratory (youth formation) to the annual Christmas celebrations called "Navilandia".

One of our trip participants was Karin Locke. She also happens to be a talented professional photographer! Karin has just made her first blog post - take a look www.karinlocke.com/blog This first blog post of hers captures our time in Lima, Peru. For those of you who sponsor children whose Child ID begins with "PIN", these photos were taken at the site (named PINIFE) where your sponsor child lives! Because of the potential for danger while carrying expensive equipment in this neighbourhood, only Karin was permitted to bring in her camera (and someone else brought it to the parish centre for her)...so these photos are a real treat.

On Thursday... [Yes, this is a post RE: Thursday, February 23. I am very sorry for the lack of posting during our Tour. Our schedules were packed, but the real issue wasn't the lack of time, it was lack of good internet.... So now that I'm home in Canada, I am free to post to my heart's content!] I met my roommate's sponsor child, Maria Esther! ...along with a whole crew of students who stay at the CEDINC boarding home outside of Yapacani, Bolivia. The students here have families and homes. But their homes are too far from schools with higher levels of education, so they have two options: (1) quit school and begin work from home; and (2) move away from home, closer to the schools, and fend for themselves (which can lead to use of drugs/alcohol & prostitution). The CEDINC provides a safe home close to school for students, which is literally life-changing for students...like Maria Esther :) Yvonne, one of our Tour participants, also got to meet her spon