Day 1 of the Jungle trip

September 4, 2014 - Ushbe, Bolivia, Day 1

What a feeling to fly into the jungle  and when you step out of the plane the tribal people start saying your name!  “Jessie”  “Jessie”  “Jessie”

The whole village comes to the strip to greet you.

We set up camp inside the church that has been built since I was there last.  CIC built the church.  It is about 6 feet off the ground for flooding.

Inside the church

We held a medical clinic in the school next door.  Brenda saw 65 patients.  I saw 2 patients!  I was actually busy preparing medicines for her and then I had to leave and go cook dinner.

The school house - it is still under construction

Jose Luis "Puma" cleaning some sore on the child's head

Brenda treating a child

We also gave out toothbrushes to all the families

Such a cute family, I had to get a picture

I am bathing this baby and teaching the mother how to keep him clean

The camp stove would not work, so I had to go and borrow a fire from someone.  As I cooked, two boys sat and watched me intently; all the while chewing on some shredded, dry meat.  There were at least 15 dogs ranging from 2 weeks old to “too old to remember”.  Chickens and roosters walked around, sometimes pestering the dogs.  A giant sow with about 8 babies came walking through my “kitchen”.   She totally upset everything and few dogs put her in her place, which was outside an invisible perimeter that had been established and recognized only by the animals.

The kitchen

I was their entertainment

One of the ladies was weaving this

Sow and babies

Just a few of the many dogs

At 7:30 we had a service in the church.  It was packed.  I counted about 100 people inside.   There were people everywhere, in the floor, in laps, on the stage.  I sat on a bench and there was a child underneath me sleeping.  There was a woman in the floor next to me with her 5 children as she nursed the 6^th. 

The men all sit on the left side of the church, the women and children all sit on the right side.  Tito preached the sermon in Chimani.  At several intervals, the women would all start hacking, snorting sucking and eventually spitting onto the wooden floor.  No one else seemed to find this odd or disgusting. 

The church service.  I think those are bugs being reflected in the camera flash.

Tomorrow we go to Agua Negra.  Tito says it is 3 hours down river, we will see.