Oh the good ole who, what, when, where and why.  I thought there would be no better way to start out this new blogging phase, as well as new phase in my life than by giving you guys a little insight into me and my current… project.  I’m excited about the experiences to come and I can’t wait to share it with you every step of the way.

So here we go, the journey begins…

Who:  For those of you who don’t know me, or didn’t glance at the photo at the right of the page (wink), my name is Amanda Dorough.  I’m a Pacific Northwest girl born and raised but since graduating from highschool I’ve spent more time away than at “home.”  My most recent journey took me to 11 countries in 11 months on a mission trip called the World Race.  I was able to serve people all over the world, I saw God’s love exude in the most unlikely of places, I saw miracles, felt miracles and was overall, changed, and now I’m excited to take everything I learned back into the field, which brings me to…

What:  The next season of my life will bring me back to my favorite country and ministry I served with while on the Race, Hospitals of Hope in Cochabamba, Bolivia.  Hospitals of Hope is an American run, Bolivian staffed hospital serving the people of the Cochabamba valley.  Since I’m obviously not a medical professional I won’t be stitching up scalp lacerations or setting broken bones instead I will have several different, necessary, non-medical positions, the primary one being manager of the hospitals coffee shop, Cafe Xelda which serves patients free coffee or tea and also serves as an evangelism tool to patients, hospital staff and medical students.  In addition I’ll also be helping out at the hospitals guesthouse (where I’ll be living) and accompanying the volunteers to outside ministries and clinics.

When:  God-willing I’ll be leaving in mid-September and spending about 10 months there before reassessing my future there and following God’s plans once again, whether that means coming back to Hospitals of Hope for another year, or moving on.

Where:  In case you’re not up on your South American geography, Bolivia is a country located in the center of the continent, between Peru, Brazil, Paraguay and Chile.  Half of the country is defined by the high Andes mountains while the rest of the country is low, Amazon rainforest (well, most of it).  Cochabamba is located in a valley in the Andes, about 8 hours SE of La Paz.  It’s known as the city of “Eternal Spring” because of it’s mild climate, which, after living in hot, humid Thailand for 2 years I’m excited to take advantage of!

The Hospital it’s self is located in the town of Vinto, about 40 minutes from “downtown” Cochabamba.  The guesthouse sits directly behind the hospital building.  Sitting between farms and against the backdrop of the valley’s tallest mountain, Tunari, it’s going to be an incredibly gorgeous place to live.

Why:  Oh there are so many why’s.  Because I love Bolivia, because I love Hospitals of Hope and their vision, because I’ve had an interest in working in a hospital setting for years, but most of all because it’s where God wants me, so that’s where I need to be.

 So there you have it.  You can learn more about me and my why by clicking on the “pages” on the tool bar at the top of the page.

I hope you’ll join me on this literary, photographic, videographic and emotional journey, however long it may take.  Feel free to comment on all my future blogs because I love comments!  And if you have a blog yourself I’d love to check it out, just leave a link for me.

God Bless!