Where did you visit?
2011 - Compassion sponsor tour to Peru
2013 - Compassion sponsor tour to Bolivia
2014 - Compassion sponsor tour to the DR
2014 - Individual visit trip to Honduras to see Compassion kids
2014 - Individual visit trip to Bolivia to see Compassion kids
How long were you there? And what did the schedule roughly look like?
2011 - 7 days in Peru (visited 4 projects around Lima + child visit day)
2013 - 8 days in Bolivia (visited 5 projects in La Paz, Cochabamba & Santa Cruz + child visit day in Cochabamba)
2014 - 4 days in the DR (visited 2 projects + child visit day)
2014 - 2 weeks in Honduras - met 8 Compassion kids on individual visits (4 visit days with multiple kids each day and 1 child on the 4th day) - visit to home & project then outing at the mall each visit day)
2014 - 3 weeks in Bolivia (6 days in Santa Cruz, 6 days in Cochabamba and 9 days in La Paz) - 11 visit days scheduled with visits to each home and project plus age-specific activity
How many kids did you visit and what were their ages?
2011 (Peru) - 2 kids - 17 year old Erika and 4 year old Pablo
2013 (Bolivia) - 5 kids - 17 y.o. Heiber, 12 y.o. Maribel, 10 y.o. Maria, 7 y.o. Marcelo & 4.5 y.o. Rossa
2014 (DR) - 8 kids - 19 y.o. Carolina, 16 y.o. Dalvin, 15 y.o. Jesus & Jose Luis, 12 y.o. John Carlos & Diana Carolina, 10 y.o. Isaias & 9 y.o. Ruth Esther
2014 (Honduras) - 10 kids - 16 y.o. Rony, 16 y.o. Katerin, 12 y.o. Faviana, 10 y.o. Anderson & Yojan, 9 y.o. Caleb, Sherly & Willians, 6 y.o. Emely, 3 y.o. Kennet
2014 (Bolivia) - 20 kids - 19 y.o. Heiber, 18 y.o. Silvia, 17 y.o. Jose, Luis G., Jhoselin & Maribel A., 16 y.o. Juan & Marlene, 15 y.o. Benjamin, 13 y.o. Maribel V., Luis C. & Deysi, 12 y.o. Josue, 11 y.o. Maria, 9 y.o. Liliana, 8 y.o. Marcelo, 7 y.o. Franz & Nelsy, 6 y.o. Rossa and 4 y.o. Nicol
Did you feel like the language barrier was a hindrance?
No. I am fluent in Spanish and all countries visited were Spanish-speaking.
What tips would you share for trying to connect with your child? Any questions you wish you had asked?
I asked them about their schooling and their favorite activities at the project, abit about their families etc.Just try to be yourself and be conversational with them.
Was this your first trip? If so, would you go again?
Have travelled to Latin America almost 2 dozen times, and the trips listed above are Compassion-related trips.
If this wasn't your first trip, why did you decide to go on another?
I have had a desire to learn more about the Latino culture since I was 12 years old and my decision was based on not only meeting my sponsored kids, but learning about their culture.
Would you recommend going on a trip with Compassion to see your kids?
Yes, I would recommend going on a Compassion sponsor tour, as not only do you get to share the emotional experiences of meeting your sponsored kids and visiting project centers with like-minded people, but some of your trip mates remain life-long friends. after the trip is over.
What was the most impactful thing you saw?
Too many experiences to name... (So I suggest you check out Judy's blog, Passionate for Compassion!, read about her trips and enjoy all the photos!)
What was the highlight of the trip?
Many highlights - one in particular during the 2014 Bolivia trip, I was able to meet my sponsored teen boy Luis Gonzales at the military barracks where he had already started his military training. As they rarely allow visits by civilians at the barracks, it was a miracle of God that I was able to spend two wonderful hours visiting with Luis - he was so incredibly grateful and a very sweet kid.
Another highlight on both the 2013 and 2014 Bolivia trips was spending the afternoon with a group of LDP (Leadership Development Program) students and sharing both their struggles and accomplishments and how God has walked step-by-step with them through their Compassion journey.
If you missed the previous posts, I encourage you to read about
* Jill's visit to Nicaragua
* Jessi's visit to Tanzania
* Terri's visit to Haiti
* Katie's visit to El Salvador
* Kerri's visit to Nicaragua
