Hello again! Yes, surprise, surprise, I actually have not only one but two blogs for you today.
Tomorrow we will be getting on a bus to head into month 10 of this 11 month long ride (a fact I am still having trouble wrapping my head around).
Now I know I don’t normally do a pre-month blog but I just wanted to check in with some info and some prayer requests for this one.
First of all, as you most likely already know, Chile is a very long country. From here in Santiago we have over 25 hours of driving before we even get to the border. On paper, we are looking at about 48 hours of bus travel in order to get to La Paz, which is where we will be starting off. However, in my experience, bus rides often take much longer than forecasted, so the amount of time that we will be on a bus is really anyone’s guess. Pray for safe and smooth travels, especially for Liv, who is no longer on bedrest but is still sore and is not really supposed to be sitting for long periods of time.
Another factor at play in our travel to La Paz (and our first few days there), is the elevation. Here in Santiago, at the foot of the Andes mountains, we are sitting at 1,870 feet above sea level. La Paz, by comparison is 11,940 feet above sea level, and is the highest capital city in the world. If you’re a curious person like me I’ll save you a few minutes of googling and tell you that the highest known permanent human settlement is La Rinconada, Peru, which clocks in at 16,700 feet above sea level. The peak of Mount Everest is 29,030 feet. (okay I’ll stop now. Trying to refrain from pummeling you with any more miscellaneous elevation facts from around the world.)
Anyways all of that to say that one of the things that we could use prayer for is altitude sickness. My team and I have been keeping extra hydrated this month in preparation, which is one of the most important things you can do for your body to combat the change in elevation.
We will have a few days to rest and acclimate to the elevation before we actually jump into things. We will spend the first part of the month in La Paz where we will be working with families and survivors of a fatal bus accident that happened in August. After spending some time there we will be headed north (another 10 hour bus ride) to hike through the jungle of Bolivia where we will camp in our tents and live off the land. We will be going to Charazani, Apolo, and Asariamas. As we go we will witness to the locals, some of whom are the Andean medicine men, who believe in a combination of superstition and animism.
Needless to say, we are all very excited and more than a little nervous about our penultimate month. Please be in prayer for our time in the jungle- that the bus ride again would be a safe one, that we would be protected from the spiritual warfare we will most likely encounter, and pray for full health for the team. Malaria is an issue in Bolivia, especially in the dense jungle where we will be going. (While I’ve dealt with malaria before, I would rather skip it this time around).
A quick recap. Tomorrow at 4 we will get on a bus (this part isn’t technically a recap since I didn’t tell you that yet), which will begin our long quest up the coast of Chile and into Bolivia. Please pray for safe travels, for health (against altitude sickness and malaria), and for spiritual protection. My team and I have full confidence in the Lord’s provision and protection. We are laying claim to the promises of Psalm 91.
Additional note: for month 11 we had several different options to pray over and decide which the Lord was asking us to do (some in Peru, some in Ecuador). More on that later. For now what that means is that this upcoming month (month 10) is my current team’s last month together. So you can also be praying for the team that we finish strong and have a great month together before we go our separate ways. As you might imagine, this late in the game is when you can really start to get on each other’s nerves, but it’s also when you know each other super well and can choose to lean in to some really amazing community.
Huge thanks as always to my army of prayer warriors. I’m so thankful for each and every one of you.
Much Love and God Bless,
-Hattie
Praying for a hedge of protection around you and your team, in Jesus’ name.
Dear dear Hattie, we continue to be very concerned for your health and safety ;both physically and spiritually, and for your long long treacherous bus ride and for Liv’s comfort. In 1971 we were in Peru and traveled on the highest standard gauge railroad in the world to the Sunday market in Huancayo. We traveled up to 16 000 feet where we stopped to take pictures. I was ‘too weak ‘ to get off the train! Pawpaw did. I took his picture while he was taking a pic of a little Peruvian family. So sweet. I received an addministration of O2. You may need some, too. May God ‘s protection be over and around you and keep you all safe and healthy. Love and prayers. Nana