Ricki Chiqueno's Story

Ricki Chiqueno is an average 9 year old. He is often playing with other kids in the Ayore villages with a smile and dirty knees. This past spring doctors diagnosed Ricki with a serious heart defect that could be fatal if not corrected. Our team met with Mission of Hope to find a solution for Ricki's condition. After trying various treatments, it was evident surgery was going to be most effective.

Together with Mission of Hope, Ricki was able to have surgery last week in Cochabamba at the Belgian Hospital. Fabricio Braner of Mission of Hope went with Ricki and his parents to Cochabamba and got them settled in.

I went for the second week of their stay to be with Ricki and his parents, Bilma and Rueben during this hard time. Just last year, they lost another child to a high fever and several years before Ricki's mother lost two other children. They seemed very grateful for the opportunity that came about for Ricki from Dupade (God).



Unfortunately, the surgery was postponed from Tuesday to Friday, Oct. 22 in order to find more blood donors to replace what Ricki would lose in surgery. During the days leading up to the surgery I mainly spent time keeping Ricki busy and giving his parents a break from the hospital. We had a lot of fun coloring, playing with a remote-control car in the hospital's hallways, singing and much more.

Friday he was in surgery for more than 6 hours but came out of it successfully. The last few days of my time there, Ricki was on heavy medication and we interacted very little. The intensive care hours were minimal and the tubes in his mouth, nose and neck as well as the pain of the incision kept him from communicating very much.

Before I left on Monday night, Ricki was moved up to recuperation and out of ICU. He was in better spirits and he is expected to be released as soon as Oct. 26.

Please continue to keep Ricki in your prayers as the recovery will not be without pain and precaution. And please praise the Lord with us that he had the opportunity to receive the surgery and hopefully be healed from the heart defect.

Ricki and his parents plan on returning to Ayore community Jogasui here in Santa Cruz the first week of November.

Six Months and Counting

Last week our friend Dennis Wolff came from Louisville, KY, to visit for a week to check out some of the ministry and spend some time seeing Bolivia. It was also the 6-month mark in the pregnancy --- 3 months to go! Praise the Lord I'm feeling great and everyone's healthy.

The Lord has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy. Ps. 126:3

The village kids are overjoyed I am pregnant

Dennis and Rocio making Bolivia's infamous cheese empanadas
We took some time off at the pool as well

Here's Charles in Cochabamba getting a bad shoe shine job. He's smiling because he doesn't know how bad his shoes were looking at that point.

I am not happy about having my picture taken while I climb the million stairs to the Christo statue in Cochabamba

Dennis and I inside the Christo statue

Charles and Dennis enjoyed running around the lagoon - A La Lay

Isn't this tree on the mountainside incredible - these trees are all over Bolivia right now and are in full bloom

All of us at lunch in Cochabamba with friends Earl, Rosie and Carla Adams