Greetings from the altiplano (high plains) of Bolivia, where the oxygen is notably scant and the sun is strong and, for some odd reason, the seasons have been reversed! Life at 13,000 feet can be a challenge for a person who is accustomed to a much, much lower elevation. My three-mile jogs are less frequent, far longer, and more exhausting than they were in my home state of Ohio. I also drink lots of water to avoid dehydration, a constant threat at this elevation, and never work outside without a hat and/or copious amounts of sun block. I’ve eaten more potatoes in the past month than I typically eat in a year, and of those, most are a blackened, dehydrated variety called chuño that forms a staple of the altiplano denizen’s diet. I’ve been used to speaking Spanish in Latin America, but now I am surrounded by speakers of Aymara, the language of the indigenous people of the altiplano. So I guess it would be an understatement to say that my life has changed quite a bit in just one month.
I never imagined I’d be working for an organization like Samaritan’s Purse when I finished my journalism degree. But everything changed for me after spending 16 months working with a church in Central America on a variety of projects. I had to eat a lot of humble pie while experiencing life outside the comforts of the US. And I came to realize that within the insular confines of our affluent nation, there is a large population of good people—and I was one of them—who can’t understand what true physical need is. My eyes were opened, and I vowed to spend the rest of my life fulfilling Jesus’ command to minister to the people of the developing world.
I submitted my application to the Samaritan’s Purse internship program a year ago and was placed in Ecuador and Bolivia for five months. It was an eye-opening experience, and for the first time in a while, I knew I was heading in the right direction. Relief and development work felt like the key that unlocked my passions. At the end of my internship in Bolivia, I was offered and accepted a program manager position.
As a program manager, I am responsible for a well construction initiative that Samaritan’s Purse began last year, providing clean, sanitary water to inhabitants of this high, arid plateau. I’ll also help coordinate this year’s batch of interns and a group of volunteers scheduled to come to Bolivia later this year. I’m also putting my journalistic skills to use by assisting the office with communications work.
I’m excited to experience Bolivia in greater depth in the coming year. So far, the job has offered new challenges and opportunities as I work with a primarily indigenous culture. I look forward to sharing more with you this month!
PROFILE
Sheldon Yoder
Program Manager
Altiplano region, Bolivia
After completing a five-month internship, Sheldon Yoder accepted a full-time position with Samaritan’s Purse as a program manager based in Bolivia’s altiplano region. As he works to provide clean water to indigenous populations, Sheldon is also learning how to live in a different culture and at a very high elevation.
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