Wednesday, March 28, 2012

photos!

This is Nell! She and her friend AnaAlise come ever year from the Netherlands and stay to  volunteer for 3-4
months! Nell is showing us her Easter gifts for the 160 children....no wonder the children love them so!


The performers enjoying a snack!

The Staff at the orphanage honored us with a gift for helping to care for their children!


This is Christy with her hand made card from the children!
 
When we arrived there was almost no shoes for the new children coming to live here.
Ana Alise showed us the room and many of our group took it  on themselves to help to restock the shelf!
 16o children....that is alot of feet!!!

A group of children drawing....all of the children that live here are less than 6 years old!

This picture made Judy laugh because the kids on either side of this little girl are helping
 to make sure that not one morsel is missed!

The food is not fancy but it keeps them from being hungry! Notice that even though there are
so many children here....all of the girs have their hair fixed! The workers and volunteers work hard to make
each child feel special!


Judy took this picture....Garret and Hailey....we miss you!
Love, joann =)

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Hi All
Have to apologize again for not getting to the computer yesterday! There is so much to do and it seems that I run out of time before I get everything done! I have been working at a dental clinic called Casa de Los Ninos....wonderful place with a good dentist but often in the afternoon we have to stop early beause we run out of sterile instruments. I think that I have stopped by the dental supply store every evening after clinic trying to buy the things we need! I feel very spoiled working in the office that I do back home......everything I need to take care of patients is right there!I was cleaning a patients teeth this afternoon and wanted to floss his teeth and the clinic didnt even have that....but it will tomorrow!
This morning I travelled with Judy, Christy and Alfonso to the baby orpanage and the battered womens´ shelter and the burn center. The burn center had visiting plastic surgeons. Judy had packed along some lidocaine (anesthetic) and when the nurse saw it, she took it right to the Doctors to use that very minute. When they found out that we had brought money to buy medications....one of the Drs actually cried!
It was nice to see the rehabilitation area that we put together along with Smile Power filled with children receiving physical therapy!
Tonight Michelle put together a dinner to celebrate a successful project from last year. She raised money and added alot of her own to help a little girl have open heart surgery.
Everyone sees and experiences things differently and helps in their own way. A group like this is so amazing because everyone brings something different!We have one common goal and that is to try to help someones life better!  =)
It is late tonight....3 hour time difference so here it is already after 11:00 so tomorrow I will send some pictures to catch you up on what has been happening!
Love to you all,
joann =)

Sunday, March 25, 2012

MYRNA AND HER NEW FRIEND!


STEPHANIE AND OUR FAVORITE NUN....SISTER ENCARNACION!


WILLIAM AND THE NEWEST MEMBER AT ARANI JESUS!
THE OLDER CHILDREN TAKE SUCH GOOD CARE OF THE YOUNGER ONES!
IT IS SWEET TO WATCH

STEPANIE, MYRNA  AND ME AT A RARE MOMENT WHEN WE ARE ACTUALLY IN THE SAME PLACE AT THE SAME TIME!
JUST A FEW MORE PHOTOS OF TEAM GRAYS HARBOR!
Hi All
Had a fun day at Arani....spent the night with the kids and came home after breakfast with them!



THE BEAUTIFUL COLORS OF THE MARKET!

 BEAUTIFUL FRUITS  AND VEGETABLES

ENRIQUE SHOWING HIS PHOT FROM A FRIEND FROM SUE MCMASTERS CLASS

HAILEY AFTER THE CHILDREN AT ARANI COVERED HER FOREHEAD IN STICKERS!

STUDENTS AT ARANI SHOWING OFF THEIR NEW UNIFORMS THAT SPONSORS BOUGHT FOR THEM!
THANK YOU!

THE STUDENTS IN THEIR SPORTS UNIFORMS AND TENNIS SHOES.......
THANK YOU PHIL AND STACY!
DONT THEY LOOK ADORABLE?

THIS YEARS SMILE POWER TEAM!

GARRET AND HIS NEW GIRLFRIENDS!
tHE KIDS DONT HAVE MANY MEN IN THEIR LIVES SO gARRET,RON AND SAM WERE VERY POPULAR!
Short note tonight but hopefully pictures! I always have to keep my fingers crossed when I am using the hotel computer!   JOANN =)

Friday, March 23, 2012




Hi All
Today I want to show you pictures of our young first time volunteer of our Bolivian project!
Meet Hailey Hofmann...she is 16 years old and from Sacramento. She came down with her Uncle Garret
to help us do projects. She has been absolutely incredible! This is her first time to be this far from her mom, dad and brother and she has helped with nearly every project and seems to love the children as much as they love her. This can be a difficult trip for even the most experience traveller but she has worked tirelessly!



For this Hailey.....I am dedicating todays blog to you.....

pictures!

Me and Silvia at the market buying school supplies!
Garret and I at Salomon Klein doing dentistry!
Me taking a little patient back to his room after dental treatment
Silvia opening her gifts at t!he shower

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Hi Everyone
Sorry I can¨t send pictures tonight....I have the only computer in the business office of the hotel that wont accept a camera card! But...I will tell you what went on today and send pictures in the morning!
It was such a busy day.....breakfast with the group and then off to Salomon Klein to see the little children at the dental clinic with Garret. He is a dentist from San Francisco and is fun to work with because he is so good with the children. There is only one chair in that orphanage so I spent the day assisting and blowing up balloons!
There is no way that I will ever be able to forget the word for balloon in Spanish because once the children see them they get excited and want "Globos! Globos! We can only work there in the morning because once the children have lunch.....it is time for a nap! Cranky tired children are no fun to work with!
Lunch at a bakery that Father Theo recomended for empanadas.....yummy!
After lunch we went to do dentistry at Casa de los ninos and bumped into Myrna and Stephanie doing school projects.....the kids really love Stephanie!
It is difficult to do allot of dentistry at one time because the clinic is new and doesnt have allot of instruments...so you have to either just wipe them off and disinfect them or wait until they come through the sterilizer.....more than an hour!
And tonight was the surprise baby shower for our teacher from Arani....Silvia was so surprised! Allot of planning but worth it all when we saw her face! Father Theos birthday was also today.....so we made it a combination shower/birthday  party!
I will get up early enough in the morning to try and send pictures of the comings on here!
It is after 11 here so good night
joann =)

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Hi All
                                You can buy anything at the market place....even a wedding dress!!
 Typical dress for the local traditional woman....the blanket she is carrying on her back has a baby inside!
                      The women sit all day long selling nuts and seeds and whatever they have!
 Our friend/translator Alberto trying to negoitate the best price possible for a new oven! Less than $300.!
                                                                     Way to go Alberto!!!
It is a little hard to see but the lady is making fresh orange juice
It is another beautiful day in Cochabamba! The sun is shining and it is probably 75 degrees and because the season is the opposite of ours, the people here think that it is getting colder and always want us to wear a jacket! If they only knew that their fall weather is like a wonderful warm summer day in Washington! haha After a breakfast of fresh fruit and bread ......which usually has cheese in it, we were off to the market to buy an oven for Casa de Jerusalem! It is goes with the refrigerator that we bought yesterday! And right now I want to thank everyone again for donating to the garage sale, helping with it and coming to the United Methodist church is Satsop to buy things! These are just a couple of things that we have been able to do so far with the money we earned!!  Today was a big market day...every Wednesday and Sunday! Being from little ol´ Elma....I have to admit that the crowds at La Cancha are a bit overwhelming and  yet exhilarating at the same time. The market is the pulse of the city. People come there to sell whatever they have so that they can but he things they need! Today I am going to send pictures of the market and hope that you enjoy them!

Hello also to Mrs. McMasters class....thanks for making friendship clips for the children of Bolivia! We are going to deliver them on Saturday....I can´t hardly wait...they are going to love them!
Love to all
joann =)

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

I am here......finally!

Hi Everyone sorry this is taking me a bit to get started but we spent nearly three days just getting here and then on my first day day here............shopping for the things I need for projects.....school uniforms and shoes and school supplies but mostly my time was spent in the stores waiting or service or for my orders to be filled. Life moves slower here and I dont like that part...makes it hard to get things done! I will be better in a day or two!! hahahaha    Finally last night I was able to get some sleep and I feel almost human again!
 Garret just finishing with a little patient this morning...forgot beanies so we made glove people instead!!
 Volunteer Mary playing with a group of children from Solomein Klein....they were fascinated by the music coming from her phone! This is Mary´s first trip to Bolivia!
I found these ladies knee deep in laundry and that told me that this is every day all day long! yikes! I will never complain about 2 loads a week again!

First full day here....breakfast with the team and a couple of hours at Solomein Klein....an orphanage with 160 infant to 6 year olds! Just a few days ago....there was a newborn found in a trash can and was brought here. Babies have the best chance to be adopted so maybe he will get lucky enough to be chosen by a loving family!. We also went to the market (La Cancha to buy a refrigerator for one o the houses where 30 boys/young men live! So many things we take for granted! Mine at home is bigger for Pat and I and our 2 cats!
Stephanie Manier-Parson has a blog and I had to laugh because she and her rmom Myrna are so busy with their projects that I have to read her blog just to find out what they are doing! hahaha
It is amaziung how much there is to do!
I am going to try to send pictures from here.....keep your fingers crossed! =)
Sorry....no pictures of me with this entry.....these pictures are rom my camera!
joann :)

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Still practicing with pictures and blogging!

Still having a little trouble accessing my photos to put them on the blog! I still have a few more days to practice! This is a common pose for me while I am there...only thing missing his my headlamp! Very attractive accessory!
I have spent the day packing trying to fit everything I need/want to take with in the space available...always challenging!   joann =)

Monday, March 5, 2012

Hi
I am still trying to learn how to upload pictures from my camera!
This is me last year with my good buddy Angelo! He is one that I could definitely bring home with me!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Hi All
The garage sale was a huge success! We earned $5200. for our projects in Bolivia.
Besides the four of us that are going....Myrna, Stephanie, Erika and me..we had some wonderful help with the sale....Pat, Delores, Laura, Julie, Christie, Dale, Kim, Melody, Cindy, Sara,,Karen,Kevin and Kathryn,Wanda and a huge thank you to the Olympic walking team for helping with the hauling and setting up (Teresa, Nancy, Linda and Nancy)  We had tons of wonderful donations, yummy baked goods and Erika making elephant ears to order. And a wonderful ending to our sale......several people with obvious hoarding issues cleaned out our leftovers!
And a big thanks to our husbands for not freaking out about our houses being so cluttered while we collected for our sale!
Less than two weeks before we go.......

Friday, February 24, 2012

The garage sale is only one week away !
We have got so many amazing donations this year! It is a lot of work but worth it when we get to Bolivia and have the extra money to help people that reall need it!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Garage sale coming soon!

Garage sale March 2nd & 3rd!
Satsop United Methodist church
8:00AM-5:00PM
Lots of great collectibles!
Come have a cup of coffee with us......Free!
Don't miss it!