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Servants in Faith and Technology | Bolivia

The summer after my sophomore year of undergrad, I had the incredible opportunity to join five other college students to be a ministry intern for the summer in Ixiamas, Bolivia through Wesley as we joined with the organization SIFAT. Servants in Faith and Technology, is an organization aimed at sharing God’s love through service, education, and personal involvement in  a needy world. You can read our full blog on the summer here.

In this remote jungle area on the edge of the Madidi National Rainforest, SIFAT is answering the needs of a growing population by offering sustainable agricultural training to students in Ixiamas and surrounding areas. SIFAT’s center (the Internado) was used a boarding home for children from the jungle villages so they could attend school in town and learn the importance of sustainable agriculture to bring home to their families and educate their villages. 

While each of my previous travels and mission experiences had significant impact on my life, these three months were life-altering.  We flew into La Paz and proceed to take a 29 hour bus ride (with no windows, air-conditioning, or a restroom) on the world’s most dangerous road. We went through tiny little towns with little markets and food trucks selling everything from empanadas to juice and even toilet tissue for the restrooms. We drove through some of the the most terrifying breathtaking cliffs and mountains complete with waterfalls, lush greenery, and exotic wildlife. And we were still on the bus! Talk about an interesting start.

Once we finally arrived to Ixiamas, we went to the hotel (running water, toilets, beds, even a TV in the room – fancy) and stayed there for the first few nights with the team as we prepared our space at the Internado for the summer. All the kids lived there as well as the macaw and the monkey so we were anxious to get settled in. There were 3 guys and 3 girls so we needed two rooms to set up our stuff and such on the top floor where there was the beginning of a bathroom for us to share (no running water, but we could use a bucket to flush and to “shower” rather than going to the river or the outhouse). Adjusting from the altitude changes and really just everything, we agreed to stay the first few nights in the hotel. And goodness was it ever the best idea…

We ate dinners at a restaurant “downtown” where they serve local cuisine and were able to accommodate large groups. Well, as you may know, the water in Bolivia as with many cultures is not always safe to drink and should be purified using chlorine or by boiling. Some of us forgot this rule when consuming the most incredible and fresh salsa we had ever eaten…that had only been washed in the water from the stream. Ever heard of Montezuma’s revenge? Well let me just saw a good many of us became all too familiar with the definition (and each other) a few hours after our meal. One of the guy interns and I were the stupidest sickest of the bunch  as we devoured the salsa, and had to stay in bed for days trying to force down crackers and Sprite. That is truly the only “near death” experience I have ever had and it was absolutely terrible. 

But after ridding myself of all of toxins, I was prepared to dive into the routine and the real reason we were there. The kids. The school was about a twenty minute walk from the Internado, but was much closer than the two to four hours away than most of the other villages that some children would venture, some without shoes. Ixiamas had little power and most ran off of generators which were only used during a portion of the days and would sometimes go out for days on end. “Town” was about a 10-15 minute walk away where there was a restaurant (where there was a one dish option that was local hand prepared foods- generally pork or chicken which you likely saw alive earlier that day or even heard offering it’s life up for you to eat while you sat there at the table). There was a store that carried snacks, hygiene products and even school supplies that was roughly the size of a corner drug store yet we dubbed it “Wally World” during our days. There was a small internet cafe that held a few computers with dial up that were hardly ever available and took hours just to load one picture. It was the picture of a technology free environment. And we loved it.
One our our favorite “vacation” spots between teams was a three hour bus ride away in Rurrenabaque where they had the best cafes, Amazon tours, and plenty of river and jungle adventures to take on. When we were back in Ixiamas, there were teams that came from churches all across the states to help with construction projects, lead VBS for the kids, and make medical trips to those in need or care (especially when it came to eye care).
Most dinners were by candlelight (or headlamp), and we spent many evenings watching lightning storms in the distance from the comfort of our tin roof or walking the dirt roads able to see every single star in the sky. Most days were spent in conversation, building relationships and community through projects and sports. We ate simply- usually rice and a small spoonful of meat or onions – or a special treat of plantains! We lived simply- slept in hammocks, bathed & washed our clothes in the river or with a bucket, learned how to cook all our food over an open flame. And we learned the simplicity of life in it’s most raw forms – loving others and serving one another with the little we had to give. We planted and taught sustainable agriculture. We built a series of pipes and a ferrocement tank to capture and use the rain water. We dug lots of holes and used a lot of bricks and mortar. We visited small villages to share the word of Christ to people who had never heard His name. 
I could go on for days and days telling you about this trip. Of all the incredible things we did. Of all the incredible people we met. But you can read all about that on our blog. What I want to share most today in remembering this incredible experience is that is left me with a desire to seek simplicity. A desire to live “no se faltan nada” – without lacking anything. To live without missing anything and being content and fulfilled in what we have, even when it seems like so little. To truly strip ourselves of the things of this world as our strongest desires and the constant battle for more, and turn to real relationships, and real activities that involve blood sweat and tears. Living in the states makes this a constant battle, one that I fail at daily. But one that is deeply rooted in where I want to be. Closer to Him, and living as simply as can be.
Simply Free


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  1. Auburn Wesley says

    Great memories Lauren… reliving that summer in Bolivia never gets old 🙂

    Also, I heard from a friend that Xanga (the site that hosts our Bolivia blog) is actually shutting down or transitioning to something new pretty soon… and they are removing all their old blogs. I tried to login the other day so I could archive it but I can't remember the login! Do you happen to remember? …its only been 7 yrs 😉

    -joe