[Familia Feliz Mission] English teacher

I sometime ask myself where I’d be, if I didn’t leave for this journey…

I wonder if my time spent home, doing all the things I used to and that I would have continued to do (working, week ends, vacations), would have making me the person I am today, after 4 your of traveling.

I can see myself today as a imperfect person ideed, full of fears and limits, but having been home until now, who would I have become?

Would I have been a more serene guy, less uneasy and totally free of doubds and questions?

Or would I have look at myself into a mirror with frustration and unsatisfaction?

Who knows…

When I got to Rurrenabaque, I had a bag full of dirty clothes to wash and a pinched tube to fix.

At the mechanich I met Jerry, a mexican volunteer which has been living in Bolivia for 3 years not.

He asked me about my motorcycle journey.

I asked him the reason why he was living in Bolivia for so long.

I am a volunteer in a orphanage called Familia Feliz – he said

We then started talking about faith, belief, God’s love and also about what fuel us to do what we do in life.

Would you like to meet the kids? – he asked me

When I accepted his invitation, I wasn’t aware of the violent histories of sexual abuses, drugs that these kids had. When I accepted his invitation, I wasn’t aware of going to be meeting not only a group of volunteers but maybe olso Jesus’s love. When I accepted his invitation, I wasn’t aware of being volunteering for the third time and yet have the feeling this experience at Familia Feliz would have change my values towards life and my own existance until then.

I got here as the “non christian”, answering the kids question

How long have you been believing God for?

Zero, actually – I aswered them with a smile

Nobody though, including the directors or the kids, have discriminated me for being mundane. Since the first day here at Familia Feliz, I have been welcomed as a precious visitor. And I introduced myself as a traveler who is seeking the truth!

So I decided to partake the 5 am preyers, to sing in the church, to celebrate the sabbath, to avoid eating meet and, after a long time, start praying.

Because if the truth is God, to discover that you need to establish a daily communication with him.

I pray in italian, into my head and in english, to my students.

That’s right, since yesterday I have given my availability to stay here at Familia Feliz until november 2009, as a english teacher volunteer.

We’ll keep in touch from time to time, I’m sure. We don’t have electricity here and neither the internet. We just have solar panels.

I’ve got one day off only and I’ll try to write during those days.

A hug to everyone.

Gionata