Mom, I’m okay…. Don’t have a heart attack. :0)
So, on our first day in Monte Blanco, we went on a tour of the center. There was a lot of ground to cover! It’s such an amazing ministry… there’s even a farm and an airstrip (runway) up on the mountain. After our walking tour, we rode around in the back of a truck to the destinations a bit farther away.
At one point, we had the opportunity to visit a cemetery for missionaries who served in and passed away in Bolivia. Standing there in front of the graves marking those who gave their lives for Christ, it was a humbling, life altering moment. Walking back, a thorn (about 2 inches long) pierced my flip-flop and went straight into my foot.
That’s what I get for not wearing my Chacos! The things you see on the flip flop are sharp too!
Anywho… I didn’t think that much of it. Until the next day when I woke up and felt the irritation in my foot. Then I climbed a mountain. :0) Afterwards, the site was really raw and I began to limp. The Monte Blanco staff noticed and pointed me towards the clinic, which the First Aid Guy had to put down his suitcase (he was leaving with the campers on a bus) and re-open the clinc. Another guy on the staff, David (not our host), came with him. But they weren’t alone. This little guy came too…
The next thing I knew, I was sitting on that little bed with the First Aid Guy cleaning my foot and a hairy tarantula in a glass box 2 feet away. First Aid Guy was instructing David on what to do… both of them were speaking Spanish. Suddenly David turned to me… as the other guy was cleaning my foot… and held a syringe in his hands. He made a pumping motion with it and started talking seriously. My foot stung, the tarantula moved a hairy leg… and I started shaking my head. “No,” I say firmly, looking to my friend for help. She was kind enough to document it for posterity.
He kept insisting… making motions…and I knew exactly where that syringe would go. “No.” At that point I didn’t care if my foot fell off.
I found out a few moments later that David used to work in the circus. :0) I wasn’t surprised.
(Btw–after that, my foot felt fine. It’s healed, although I’m kind of rooting for a scar. Those are always fun).
