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Plant a Seed

Jun 5

8 min read

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It feels surreal for this to be my last blog post from my SM year. I am writing this from very different locations than usual. I am not sitting outside at Roots Café or Hotel Takana, and I am not sweating in the humidity. Right now I am sitting on a comfortable bed with the sun streaming in through my window in our beautiful house in Michigan. I got home from Bolivia on May 7, but I wanted to share one last blog to officially close out my SM year.

 

Above: Luz and I after church.
Above: Luz and I after church.

         My last few weeks at Familia Feliz were difficult because of my increased responsibilities and Santi’s sickness. I got very little sleep, and there was also much to do as I was preparing to leave: sorting through and distributing about half of my stuff to volunteers and children, writing notes and printing photos for each of the kids, and preparing the garden and gardening staff as much as possible for my departure. At the same time, I wanted to treasure every last moment with the kids and my garden before leaving.


Above: With Tici and Lorelay
Above: With Tici and Lorelay

Above: My last picture with Luis, one of the Guerreros who always liked to arm wrestle me.
Above: My last picture with Luis, one of the Guerreros who always liked to arm wrestle me.

Finally, my last morning at Familia Feliz dawned. I woke up, had devotions, and took one last cold shower as an attempt to wake myself up (I was tired from late-night packing the night before). Then I ran around doing last minute things and headed to the cafeteria to say goodbyes. I was dreading it so much. Lots of handshakes, lots of hugs, and lots of tears (from a very sad, sobbing Nirza) were shared. Eventually, I had everything packed up, all the goodbyes had been said, all the notes given and received, and everything was ready to leave. As I rode out of Familia Feliz’s gate one last time in the back of Hermano Juan’s large truck, I couldn’t help but shed some tears. I was leaving behind so many people that I deeply care about, and it was hard to comprehend that I was truly leaving them for good. I hope to visit them sometime, but I almost certainly will never live and work there in that same capacity again. I stared out of the plane window intently as the Bolivian jungle got smaller and smaller. 32+ hours later, I was greeted by my excited parents in Chicago. Since then, I have been resting up, eating yummy food, and spending time with family and friends.

 

Above: Saying goodbye to Nirza.
Above: Saying goodbye to Nirza.

And still, about a month later, it is hard for me to comprehend that I said goodbye to my SM year in Bolivia forever, and that I’m starting a new chapter of life now. My world in the states and my world in Bolivia are so drastically different that it is hard to even comprehend that I just spent 9 months there and that now I’m back home and things are back to normal. In some ways, it almost feels like a very long dream because it is hard to make the two worlds meet in my mind. But yet the experience changed me, so that even though I am coming back to the same world over here, I am a different person in many ways than I was when I left. Often I think that year actually did more for me than it did for the people in Bolivia.

 

Above: Valentin and I  
Above: Valentin and I  

My perspective on many things has changed in these last 9 months. Some things that surprised me coming home were how full our fridge was, how soft my bed was, what a big house we have, how nice it is to take a hot shower, how nice it is to not wake up scratching hundreds of mosquito bites or hearing rats in my roof, and how nice it is to have a loving home with my family. I am so blessed. So, so beyond blessed, and I never realized it to this extent before. What a perspective change Bolivia gave me. And yet, when I watched lots of big beautiful houses below me as I flew into Texas, I thought about how happy the children at Familia Feliz are. They are happier and “richer” than some of those people with beautiful, big homes in the states. I wish they could enjoy all of the nice things I am getting to enjoy being at home, but I was reminded that we don’t need things to be happy. It is Jesus who gives us joy and peace and who makes us truly rich in blessings and treasures in Heaven. It is He who gives the kids at Familia Feliz the abundant love that they freely shared with me and the other volunteers this year. It is also Jesus who gives them the joys of friendship, a beautiful location to live in with sunshine nearly every day and brightly colored birds singing in the treetops, and the blessings of being in a place where they are loved and taught about God each day. God has blessed them abundantly too, not in material things maybe, but in many other ways. And many of them are happier and richer than some of the wealthiest people on earth.

 

Above: Santi and I enjoying a hot day.
Above: Santi and I enjoying a hot day.

I spent my last Tuesday morning at Familia Feliz alone one last time in the garden. So many peaceful, happy moments have been spent in that garden with the dew on the ground and morning birds singing sweetly. I soaked it all in and got a good start on weeding the pepper row while I was at it. As I looked around, I reflected on all that God has done for me this year and all that has changed. When I initially came to Familia Feliz, I felt so unqualified and scared about starting an agriculture program there. I knew people had high expectations for it, and I had no idea if I could live up to them. I told God so many times throughout my SM year that I would try hard to do my best and He would have to take care of the rest.

Above: Melons!
Above: Melons!
Above: Okra flowers are my favorite!
Above: Okra flowers are my favorite!
Above: Butternut Squash.
Above: Butternut Squash.

As I looked around the garden, I saw the nearly finished greenhouse which will make growing in rainy season so much easier. Tomatoes will now actually have a chance with the greenhouse around. I also saw a nearly completed fence that will protect our beautiful melons, pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers from Hochi (a medium-sized rodent that eats the produce) and pigs. The garden, instead of being a great patch of dirt without any living thing in it like it was when I arrived, is a large area full of trellises, vegetables, flowers, cover crops, a greenhouse, and yes, some weeds too. The tropical Malabar spinach that I planted in September is STILL producing 8 months later! The orange orchard is all pruned and the mandarins are starting to produce. The four jackfruit trees I started from seed are all transplanted and nearly taller than me. And many more fruit trees are still in pots waiting to be transplanted. The kids all have much more knowledge of and interest in agriculture than when I arrived. And I left feeling momentously more knowledgeable than when I arrived as well. So much changed in my garden over the year, so much changed in Familia Feliz, and so much changed in me too. I am so grateful that God faithfully kept His side of the bargain and “took care of the rest” as I worked to start the agriculture program.

Above: One of the transplanted Jackfruit trees.
Above: One of the transplanted Jackfruit trees.
Above: Half of the garden when I first arrived.
Above: Half of the garden when I first arrived.
Above: The  same half of the garden when I left. You can see the fence, the greenhouse beginnings, and a trellis, as well as sweet potatoes and cassava.
Above: The same half of the garden when I left. You can see the fence, the greenhouse beginnings, and a trellis, as well as sweet potatoes and cassava.
Above and Below: Dianara and Joselin enjoying our garden trellis. These two pictures were sent to me a few weeks ago. I am glad to see that the trellised plants and our adopted puppy (Lily Canela) are thriving.
Above and Below: Dianara and Joselin enjoying our garden trellis. These two pictures were sent to me a few weeks ago. I am glad to see that the trellised plants and our adopted puppy (Lily Canela) are thriving.

Right before going to Bolivia in August, I was sitting on a bench with my boyfriend and we were talking about our SM years and the things we were scared about going into them. When I shared that I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to grow anything, he shared a song with me by Luke Combs called “Plant a Seed”. Some of the lyrics are as follows:

 

“He said, ‘Don’t you blink’, soak it up ‘cause next thing you know, you turn around and wonder where your whole life’s gone. Remember it’s about the journey, don’t fill your days with worry...”

“True love and the gospel might take a while to blossom, but you dig down in that garden and you plant ‘em anyways. Just let God be the farmer, He’s got the sun and water. It’s up to him to let ‘em bloom and let ‘em see the light of day.”

“Oh-oh-oh, time ain’t always your friend. It starts slow and gets faster towards the end. So fill up your heart with love, pass it on before you go. And thank the Man upstairs that you were there to plant a seed and watch it grow.”

 

I listened to this song many times while I was in Bolivia, and I think it sums up the biggest things God taught me over my SM year. God really started the big process of teaching me to trust Him and not worry through all of the ups and downs of this year. Through getting Dengue, having a big change in leadership at Familia Feliz, starting the agriculture program, and in leaving Familia Feliz as well, He has been reminding me time and again to trust Him and to be willing to leave things in His hands. I have been learning to stop trying to take things back into my own hands and worry about them as if they were safer in my own hands than in His. God has been teaching me to enjoy the journey – to slow down and notice the little things in life like intricate little plants and sweet smiles from kids.


Above: This picture was taken at my last Friday night worship at Familia Feliz.
Above: This picture was taken at my last Friday night worship at Familia Feliz.

I’ve been learning to enjoy watching plants, people, and myself grow while trusting the growing process to Him and not stressing about it. Throughout my year, I was really struck by my own incapability to make any plants grow without Jesus’ life-giving power. I can put seeds in the ground all day long, but they do not grow without the Life-giver no matter how good I try to make the conditions for growing. Over and over throughout the year when I would stress about doing a good enough job in the garden, I would remember the words “Just let God be the farmer, He’s got the sun and water, it’s up to Him to let ‘em bloom and let ‘em see the light of day.” And after leaving, that quote has come to mean a lot more to me than just trusting God with my garden. It was hard to leave the kids and to let them out of my hands. It is hard to not be able to be near and have an effect on keeping them safe and helping them grow in Jesus. But this song reminds me that it is only God that makes anything grow inside us. It is only God that can protect those kids and help them build relationships with Him. I am thankful that God used me and blessed my efforts like He did in Bolivia. And now, I have to let God be both the garden and heart farmer. I planted both physical seeds in my Bolivia garden and the seeds of Jesus’ love in kids’ hearts the best that I could, and now it is God’s job to keep those seeds growing. But I am eternally grateful that God gave me the opportunity to be in Bolivia and “plant a seed and watch it grow.” What a blessing it was for me! Thank you to each of you for following along and supporting my journey.


Above: One of my favorite photos of all of my time at Familia Feliz. I love and miss these girls so much.
Above: One of my favorite photos of all of my time at Familia Feliz. I love and miss these girls so much.

Jun 5

8 min read

11

64

8

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Comments (8)

See you soon!

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Replying to

Yay! Looking forward to it!

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Mama
Jun 09

I'm so proud of you and the ministry you carried out in Bolivia and the many ways you let God use and grow you. You are an inspiration to me and I love you so much! <3

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Aw, thank you mama! And thank you for all of your love and support throughout the year. Love you soo much 💗

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rallybro2
Jun 07

Fantastic close-out! Thank you!

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Replying to

Glad you’ve enjoyed!! Thanks for following along and visiting me too ☺️

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Emma
Jun 05

So glad travels back home went safely, Ellie! Loved reading each of your blog posts over the last year. Thank you for giving a little peak into the amazing things God accomplished through you over there! He really worked (and will continue to work) through you to show those kids His love. Continuing to pray for the seeds to blossom and flourish in God's time. :)

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Replying to

Aww, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you so much for your sweet word and for the prayers for Familia Feliz :)

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“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22

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