Soul Trek

Life over the past number of weeks has been a journey of distance and of the soul. In Bolivia we had many adventures of going 4x4ing and getting stuck in the jungle, taking a group of kids to the zoo in Santa Cruz and building great friendships. But for me it was travelling from Bolivia to Los Angeles that really made me think and realize many things about life and the culture of Central and South America and also the culture of North America. In South America we live in a mentality of orphan children, it’s a place where many have no father to look up to and have been abandoned to the streets or abusive homes. The country of Bolivia has so much beauty that is hidden behind a veil of poverty and oppression. And these things people think can be solved with money and economic development. But then when I return to the United States I see a different view. It is a country of beauty hidden behind a materialistic and shallow mask. A country that has the money and a developed economy. But what they lack is the same as those that reside to the South of them. It is a lack of love and acceptance. We all feel the insecurity of being vulnerable and therefore we put masks over our true selves. Whether it comes across as a tough street kid who will never let himself cry or as a man driving a new Bentley and only thinking of himself and his world. Maybe we all try to hide behind a mask of some sort to protect our true self. When what we need is to open up and be vulnerable to the only person that can save us from ourselves. I am really not sure of the answers but I know that I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I want to love people unconditionally just as I am loved and who knows maybe it will rub off and create a chain reaction where we all begin to let our true beauty hang out. Hey I also want to just give a big shout out to Ken Switzer our friend and great host, also to Jake and Dorothy for the great home cooked meal and last but not least our family in the United States the Trosts, thanks for the short but so sweet fellowship while we passed through and also to Jackie and Danny, thanks for putting up with all of our antics! Much love, Lehmann.