Welcome to Amistad, the mission of friendships with God, one another and with the poor. Guidebooks might tell you what to carry and which sights to see. We encourage you to put down your baggage (things brought, anxieties carried, projects waiting), open your hands and heart, and travel as a pilgrim with Jesus. A pilgrim makes a journey to a holy place, but the ways of wandering and relationships developed along the path are the core of the journey. The guide is Jesus; you will hear and see him only if you travel by heart. Once when a young four year old was asked to pray for his parents before they left for a trip, he said, “Dear Lord, I pray they may see Jesus wherever they go. Amen.” This is the pilgrim’s prayer, for each day of this holy journey to Amistad and throughout the days of your life.

A visit to the Amistad Mission in Bolivia is as different as any travel experience you might have, encompassing renewal and transformation, an increased appreciation for gifts personally received, and a strengthened faith in Christ. It is an opportunity to see the direct results of the work of mercy in which the Amistad Mission is engaged, knowing that we are all involved in a very worthwhile endeavor.

The impact of the experience may vary. Some will find the quiet solitude and massive grandeur of Aramasi to be God’s chapel for a contemplative time of introspection, away from the hustle and elbowing of our competitive world. It is an ideal time and place to get the old head on straight again. Some will find the joy and innocence of the children of our orphanage filling them with a sense of purpose and renewal that will last a lifetime. The exposure to the Third World economy will be an education to some, making one aware of the severe problems that exist and the difficulties of life experienced by most of the world’s population.

Visiting Amistad
Our visitors’ program is directed toward Christians who want to share in our mission, and the mission given by Christ. It allows us to experience many aspects of our faith and stretches us spiritually. As a shared family experience, the journey can bring a family more tightly together and offers the opportunity to enter into fellowship with Christian people very different from us.
 
The Lord’s vision for Amistad Mission continues and we invite you to help us make His vision a reality.  “Come and see!” make a pilgrimage to Amistad, and become a part of Amistad’s history. It is there waiting for you.

Amistad’s Mission Statement
Amistad Mission is a Christian partnership between North Americans and Bolivians that exists to:
a) meet the medical, nutritional, educational, public health, and spiritual needs of the Quechua natives,
b) raise orphaned and abandoned Bolivian Children through independent adulthood in a Christian family/community environment,
c) forge friendships between North Americans and Bolivians responding to the call of Christ to serve the poor, specifically those of Bolivia.

May 16-Friday (1)-In flight DFW to Bolivia
Depart DFW late afternoon. Fly to Bolivia via Miami on overnight flight.

May 17 -Saturday (2)-Arrive Cochabamba
Arrive La Paz early, change planes and continue to Cochabamba arriving mid morning. Lunch, rest, visit Villa to meet children and staff, reflect, meet Amistad board member and overnight at La Morada (Amistad’s retreat house).

May 18 - Sunday (3) - Cochabamba
Attend worship services with children of Casa Esperanza, the cottage SMAA helps support. Take children to park for games, lunch in city, Visit ‘Christo de la Concordia’ and return to Children’s Villa. Overnight and have evening reflection at La Morada.

May 19 - Monday (4) - Cochabamba 
Attend morning worship with the children and staff at the Children’s Villa in Cochabamba. Rest of day shall be spent on work projects. Overnight and have evening reflection at La Morada.

May 20 - Tuesday (5) – Travel to Aramasi   
Attend morning worship and the mama and tias bible study before leaving for Aramasi. In Aramasi, visit the clinic, child care center, school, gardens and water project; free time, silent retreat and overnight in hermitages.

May 2 1- Wednesday (6) – to Cochabamba
Visit women’s weaving cooperative, hike to village of Huacampara, eat lunch and then return to Cochabamba. Eat out, have evening reflection and stay at La Morada.

May 22 - Thursday (7)–Cochabamba
Take a city sightseeing tour (including Solomon Klein), shop at La Concha, Visit Casa de Jovenes, eat dinner and say good byes with the children in the Villa; have evening reflection and stay at La Morada.

May 23 - Friday (8) –Travel Chapare & S.C.
Day trip to Chapare, north of Cochabamba, returning to catch evening flight to Santa Cruz. Stay in hotel.

May 24 - Saturday (9) - Return to Dallas     
Catch morning flight to Dallas with stopover in Miami. Arrive Dallas in evening.