Greetings from Cochabamba,

This month, we are going to share some of the experiences that families have had here in Bolivia working with Niños con Valor. On the one hand, we are doing this as a thank you to all the families who have joined us in Cochabamba and become a part of our larger NCV family. On the other hand, we hope to encourage families to consider joining us, as it is not only a huge help for our children and staff, but also an incredible experience for a family to share. We asked 4 families to answer a few questions, and send us in their favorite photos from their time in Bolivia. Enjoy! (Oh, and this month has been FULL of things we are excited to update you on, so stay tuned for our August newsletter!)

Peace and Love,

The Roth family

Above: The Roth family showing off an article about the trip published in the local newspaper.

Mike and Gail Roth joined us in January 2010 with their 3 children, Anna-Maria, Victoria and Clayton, who were 10, 8 and 7 years old at the time. They arrived as part of a 23 person team from Living Waters Fellowship Church in New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada - the largest team we have ever received! Gail planned activities for the children of Pedacito de Cielo, Mike worked with the men of the team on building a ramp for Zandra's family, and all three of the kids formed strong relationships with our boys and girls through activities and projects. The team also traveled to Mizque to spread some Christmas cheer to the communities of Pantipampa and San Pedro. Here are the Roths' replies to our questions:

Kids: Anna-Maria, Victoria and Clayton

Before you came to Bolivia the first time, what did you think the trip would be like?
We didn't really know what to expect. We thought it would be hot.

What was the most exciting / fun part of your time in Bolivia?
Making friends; going to the villages to deliver toys and play games; Anna-Maria had fun making over 200 balloon animals for the children; dressing up and face painting for the Moda Loca (NCV's annual Crazy Fashion Party); learning about another culture (food, costumes, traditions, etc).

What was the hardest part of the trip?
Being patient for the plane ride to be over; staying awake when we arrived; getting used to the different food.

What was it like getting to know and spend time with kids living in homes, like Corazón del Pastor and Pedacito de Cielo, as well as the places you visited on the reality tour?
It was lots of fun; it made us feel happy; it was a little hard because we didn't understand the language.

What did you do when you got back from Bolivia?
We went back to school and shared our pictures and stories with our classmates; we sent the children in Bolivia pictures of us playing in the snow; in the spring we held a yard sale at our house and donated $ for one of the projects in the new house; this year Anna-Maria planned a pizza and ice cream sandwich fundraiser - we made almost 450 pizzas and 1500 ice cream sandwiches and raised almost $6000 for Bolivia and another family who are going to be missionaries in Brazil!

How did your friends react when you told them about your trip?
They were surprised at how different it is in Bolivia.

Would you do it again?
Yes, with our family. We enjoyed being with the children.

What would you say to someone your age thinking about doing a trip like you did?
Learn some Spanish before you go... And it is lots of fun!

Above Left: Anna-Maria, Clayton and Victoria ready to leave a snowy Toronto airport.
Above Right: Clayton with Ramiro, the team's busdriver.

Above Left: Anna-Maria sitting with some of her new friends.
Above Right: Karina and Bryssa teaching Victoria and Clayton some Bolivian games.

Above Left: Clayton spending some time with Guillermo.
Above Right: Anna-Maria took charge of making balloons for the children of San Pedro.

Above Left: Victoria listening carefully during the reality tour.
Above Right: And here, a little less serious, at the moda loca :)

Parents: Mike and Gail

Why did you decide to join your church's mission team as a family?
It was a learning experience for our young children.

How do you feel this trip impacted your family as a whole?
It gave us a greater awareness for how fortunate we are, and gave our children a desire to help others more.

What were the highlights specifically for you as a family?
The trip to Mizque, and seeing the smiles on children's faces with their new musical instruments especially during the final program the kids shared with us - we could see how much they appreciated the music we taught them and they had so much to teach us. We learned a lot and also enjoyed the tours of various orphanages in the city.

What challenges were there?
The language; adjusting to the difference in altitude.

How did your children respond to the interaction s/he had with children living in orphanages, both Corazón del Pastor and Pedacito de Cielo, as well as the places you visited on the reality tour?
They did a great job of communicating with the other children; it took the focus off of "us" and put their energy into helping others

When you got back home, what sort of things did your family do as a follow-up to the trip?
We shared a presentation at church with slide show, etc; our family has done a couple of fundraisers (as our kids explained above); the children added lots of pictures to their photo albums and added mementos to their scrapbooks.

Is there anything you would like to share with families considering joining NCV in Bolivia for a mission trip?
This is a mission worth supporting and we are glad that we experienced it with our children.

Above: Mike was a hit with the kids wherever he went, here pictures with some kids on the reality tour, and some of the boys from PDC.

Above Left: Mike and the guys taking a well-deserved break from the construction project.
Above Right: Gail, with our little Victoria, sharing in an activity with the kids of PDC.

The Arthur family

Above: Terry and Maddie having some mother/daughter time at Tyson's place.

Terry joined us in November 2008 and again in August 2010 with her daughter Maddie. They were a part of our first team from First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, and the first team with kids participating for NCV. It was a great time, and relationships were formed that will last a life time. In 2010, it was a special time for Maddie to share with her sponsor sister, Elena. Here are Terry and Maddie's replies to our questions:

Daughter: Maddie

Before you came to Bolivia the first time, what did you think the trip would be like?
I thought that we were going to do helpful things but still have a fun time with everybody.

What was the most exciting / fun part of your time in Bolivia?
Some of the best parts were planting flowers, playing with the kids at the orphanage, and hanging out with the girls at Corazon del Pastor.

What was it like doing volunteer projects with your family?
It was fun because it was a one of a kind experience that just my mom and I did together.

What was the hardest part of the trip?
The hardest part was probably the reality tour because it was sad that some people have no house or medical problems they can't pay for.

What was it like getting to know and spend time with kids living in homes, like Corazón del Pastor and Pedacito de Cielo, as well as the places you visited on the reality tour?
The kids in the orphanage were a lot of fun! We went to the park together and played games at Corazon del Pastor. I'm really glad that we went to Puntiti because I never knew that there was a place like that for people to go to. They got good care and I'm happy they have a place to go.

What did you do when you got back from Bolivia?
My mom and I presented to my class about what we did and the good things that you guys are doing there.

How did your friends react when you told them about your trip?
They didn't really know where Bolivia is, but when I told them they thought it was cool.

Would you do it again?
Yes, because it was so fun! I liked meeting all the people there and talking to them and it helped other people too!

What would you say to someone your age thinking about doing a trip like you did?
I would tell them that they should do it because it's super fun and you get to help people who need it too.

Above Left: Maddie prepping activities for the PDC kids.
Above Right: Painting Marcos' hands to decorate the sandboxes.

Above Left: Maddie and Ellie testing out their work project.
Above Right: The kids all worked hard helping prep the bedrooms at PDC.

Mom: Terry

Why did you decide to join your church's mission team as a family?
To share a special, meaningful experience with my daughter.

How do you feel this trip impacted your family as a whole?
I think it made both of us more aware of the needs of others, and it brought us closer together.

What were the highlights specifically for you as a family?
The highlights were the reality tour, Puntiti, and working with the children at Pedacito de Cielo and Corazon del Pastor. I also loved going to visit families in el campo and going to the market.

What challenges were there?
On our first trip we had some health challenges that the group had to fight through. My other challenge was not knowing the language. I would encourage other families that go to learn some basic conversational Spanish in order to better communicate with the people they meet.

How did your children respond to the interaction s/he had with children living in orphanages, both Corazón del Pastor and Pedacito de Cielo, as well as the places you visited on the reality tour?
My daughter thrived in the environment. She was enthusiastic in all of her experiences and it was so fun for me to see her so engaged in everything that she did.

When you got back home, what sort of things did your family do as a follow-up to the trip?
After our first trip I gave presentations to both my son and daughter's classes. I also gave a presentation to my daughter's Girl Scout troupe. After our second trip I visited my daughter's class again. My daughter also made a scrapbook after our second trip.

Is there anything you would like to share with families considering joining NCV in Bolivia for a mission trip?
I want to encourage any families thinking of joining NCV in Bolivia to jump in with both feet and GO! It will be the opportunity of a lifetime and something that your family will not soon forget. The staff at NCV is top notch and their work in Bolivia is truly amazing.

Above: Terry was a great help with the youngest kids.

The Hannigan-Luther family

Dr. Gordy and Kris Hannigan-Luther lived in Cochabamba for a year with their three children: Shay, Melia and Ben. Gordy helped us out a lot in both of our homes, providing free checkups for our kids, and helping equip our staff for the different health challenges we face on a day-to-day basis. His daughter, Melia, was a regular presence in Pedacito de Cielo, and Shay and Ben came by when they could to play with the kids and help out where needed. We miss them a ton, and were excited to receive them for a brief visit this year! Here are their thoughts on the questions we asked them:

Kids: Shay, Melia and Ben

Before you came to Bolivia the first time, what did you think the trip would be like?
The same as it was in the US except that people would have a different skin color and speak a different language.

What was the most exciting / fun part of your time in Bolivia?
Being able to see another side of life.

What was it like doing volunteer projects with your family?
Fun. Awkward at times.

What was the hardest part of the trip?
Learning the language and being able to communicate with others. Leaving Bolivia to return to the US at the end of our year.

What was it like getting to know and spend time with kids living in homes, like Corazón del Pastor and Pedacito de Cielo?
Challenging, interesting and fun. Having the kids speak Spanish to us was challenging. It was hard to see that the kids often didn't have parents.

What did you do when you got back from Bolivia?
We've raised money and awareness for the orphanage through public events. We have also made and sold items to help raise support.

How did your friends react when you told them about your trip?
They thought is sounded cool and interesting.

Would you do it again?
Shay: Yes. To play with the kids in the orphanage. To see some of our friends and stay connected.
Melia: No -- because then it would be hard to leave Bolivia again.

What would you say to someone your age thinking about doing a trip like you did?
Pack light! Some parts are going to be tough, so stick through with it.

Above: Melia reading to the kids of PDC.

Above: Melia with a much smaller Victoria.

Parents: Gordy and Kris

Why did you decide to come to Bolivia and serve as a family?
To learn from another culture, to broaden our family's world view, and to model for our children the value of human to human cross-cultural connection.

How do you feel this trip impacted your family as a whole?
Our time in Bolivia impacted us in many ways. One important impact is the appreciation it gave us for the value of people's lives and struggles in Bolivia. This, therefore, helps us value people in all parts of the world.

What were the highlights specifically for you as a family?
Getting to know the kids at NCV, and watching our daughter become engaged in their lives.

What challenges were there?
Language, health, navigating the city.

How did your children respond to the interaction s/he had with children living in orphanages, both Corazón del Pastor and Pedacito de Cielo?
They needed guidance from us at first, but with time came to love the NCV children and enjoy time with them.

When you got back home, what sort of things did your family do as a follow-up to the trip?
We've done some presentations at our church, and our daughter has done several fundraisers to send support money (a Bolivia booth at a Multicultural Fair, selling home-made bubble wands at a local artisan fair). The kids are also involved in our sponsorship of NCV children.

Is there anything you would like to share with families considering joining NCV in Bolivia for a mission trip?
For us it was a challenging and very worthwhile experience.

The Fortin family

Above: The Fortins came with our first team with families back in Fall 2008.

Dave, Laurel, Ellie and Drew have been a big part of the NCV family ever since their first visit back in November 2008. In fact, it was Laurel and co-worker Bob who spearheaded the relationship with First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue that has been such a blessing to both our community here in Bolivia, and theirs in the US. Both Drew and Ellie are sponsors of girls in Corazon del Pastor, Dave is our US Board Chair, and Laurel has recently joined the US charity as our financial secretary. They are such an exciting example of how families can get involved in making a difference together. Here are the Fortins' replies to our questions:

Kids: Ellie and Drew

Before you came to Bolivia the first time, what did you think the trip would be like?
Ellie: I thought it was going to be so much fun because I would get to visit little kids.
Drew: Boring and not as fun.

What was the most exciting / fun part of your time in Bolivia?
Ellie: Getting to help Niños con Valor.
Drew: Sliding down the skate board ramp. Playing with the kids, especially the crazy boys.

What was it like doing volunteer projects with your family?
Ellie: It was so much fun because we did things I never did before like making a sandbox and painting rooms.
Drew: Tiring, hard work. It was exciting to make the sandboxes.

What was the hardest part of the trip?
Ellie: The airplane rides down, crossing the streets and not drinking the water.
Drew: The flying.

What was it like getting to know and spend time with kids living in homes, like Corazón del Pastor and Pedacito de Cielo, as well as the places you visited on the reality tour?
Ellie: It was interesting because you couldn't speak their language so you had to find a different way to communicate. It was amazing playing with such sweet little kids. I felt sad that some have HIV because they are normal kids just like us except they have HIV. They were so sweet. The girls (at CDP) were so much fun to hang out with. I felt badly that they didn't have a family but they were so happy and it made me feel so much better.
Drew: The kids were fun, funny and fun to play with. They were exciting. I just had fun.

What did you do when you got back from Bolivia?
Ellie: The first time I got back I showed pictures in my classroom. The second time, I raised money with a garage sale and told people. I did another garage sale getting ready for our third trip to raise money.
Drew: I went back to normal life. I sent some money to Tyson.

How did your friends react when you told them about your trip?
Ellie: They were really interested and wanted to know more.
Drew: They thought it was cool.

Would you do it again?
Ellie: I would do it again because it was a great experience.

What would you say to someone your age thinking about doing a trip like you did?
Ellie: That it was a great experience and was so much fun and that they would love it.
Drew: If they like flying they should go. They should go to see the kids and have fun with them. I am a better person because I helped out orphans.

Above: Ellie and Drew both worked hard painting the sandboxes for PDC.

Above Left: Ellie made great friends with the girls of CDP - here posing with Karina.
Above Right: Drew helping Mariana in PDC's early days.

Above Left: Just last week, on her 3rd trip to Bolivia, Ellie joined sponsor sister Adriana for a night of bowling.
Above Right: Here, Drew poses with his sponsor sister Paty.

Parents: Dave and Laurel

Why did you decide to join your church's mission team as a family?
First time, to experience the "real world" out there and show our family the difference people can make in the world. Second time, because we just love the kids down there so much and it is such a great trip to take as a family!

How do you feel this trip impacted your family as a whole?
Just a better understanding of how the world lives and how pretty simple actions on our part can help out those in need. And it was wonderful to experience traveling to a different part of the world, especially a unique spot like Bolivia. And having met our sponsored girls really brings that support to life – knowing that we're trying to come alongside Paty and Ariana thru sponsorship enhances the joy of giving exponentially.

What were the highlights specifically for you as a family?
Seeing how happy my kids were playing with the kids down there. There is more joy in my kids while we're in Bolivia then I see during our other family vacations.

What challenges were there?
Logistically - The trip down there is brutal. And the first trip we all got sick.

How did your children respond to the interaction s/he had with children living in orphanages, both Corazón del Pastor and Pedacito de Cielo, as well as the places you visited on the reality tour?
Our kids thought the kids in CDP and PDC were just like us – happy and great to play with. So knowing the backgrounds I think opened all of our eyes that all kids are the same – just want to have fun and have a family. We all had very mixed emotions about the situation – grateful that the kids are under the holistic and wonderful care of Niños but also heartbroken that their own family cannot care for them. But seeing how the kids started from the reality tour and then seeing the homes in CDP/PDC makes you so amazed at the level of love and care Ninos is able to give.

When you got back home, what sort of things did your family do as a follow-up to the trip?
The first trip I took hours putting together a scrapbook and I'm so glad I did because we look at all the time. And we pull it out for every event we've hosted since. Having our friends come over and see all of us in the pictures makes the story so much more personal than just a brochure.

One of the sweetest things I've ever seen my son Drew is spontaneously go get all his savings (about $60 which he had been saving for months for a hamster) and hand it to Tyson when he was visiting with a simple "this is for the kids." No one prompted him. He hadn't mentioned he was thinking of it – he just did it and it was so sweet.

And before our second trip, Ellie wanted to have a garage sale to raise money. Dave and I are really not fans of garage sales, especially hosting one, so we tried to dissuade her but she was determined. So we helped gather items to donate but told her she had to get it all organized and run the sale. So she spent all of a Friday in the garage organizing and pricing bags of goods and then worked the Saturday garage sale. She was only 10 years old but ran things like a pro. She was able to raise $500 that day! (As a side note, during the sale traffic on the main street outside our neighbourhood had been routed in front of our house for about a month during construction and we didn't know when it would be done. So we had a lot of cars driving by which of course helped the garage sale. Come Monday morning following the sale, the road opened back up – so we felt it was a little God Print on the moment to pick the last Saturday before the traffic went away).

This year Ellie was bent on doing another sale – this time we did it at a friend's house, solicited donations from friends and a little advertising and raised $1800. Favorite memory of the day was when the girls (Ellie and two of her friends) each bought one of Grandma's homemade pies which were for sale for $15 each. Then they proceeded to each dig in, right in the middle of the pie – so three girls, three pies in each lap, all digging in. Very funny!

For the past three years, we've brought back scarves and other knitted items to sell at a Holiday party. I buy them in Bolivia at a fair price – then sell them at a profit in the US with a little card as to how the gift is supporting Niños, donate the amount received to NCV, and later recieve a tax deduction which covers my own costs. So, aside from the time and cost to host the party, the fundraising pays for itself. And around the kids school, everyone knows these scarves. I've heard teachers talk – oh, is that one of those Bolivia scarves. Each year it raises between $2 and $3k!

Is there anything you would like to share with families considering joining NCV in Bolivia for a mission trip?
I know the cost of the trip makes it difficult for most families to consider, but if budget does allow and a family is considering it, I couldn't recommend it enough. It is so much more fun that you can imagine. And having that in our life experiences will shape our family always.

Above: Laurel and Dave getting their hands dirty for the kids.

Above Left: Laurel sharing a moment with Karina at the goodbye party of their first trip.
Above Right: Dave and Drew heading up to the Cristo in the cable car.

We hope you enjoyed reading about the experiences of some of the familes that are such a special part of our broader NCV family. As an organization working hard to provide a loving family to the boys and girls of PDC and CDP, we recognize how important the experiences we share with the children are in helping them form their worldview. If you are interested in learning more about what a trip to Bolivia with your family would entail - please write us at info@ninosconvalor.org.

Peace and Love From the Children, the Staff, and the Volunteers of Niños con Valor.