Long time, no blog

So, we've officially become lazy interneters. These days have been full of activity and we usually only stop long enough to read emails every couple days and respond to the most important ones. I'll just dive right in....

Yes, we do have the pleasure of camping in absolutely majestic spots such as this. A couple weekends ago, we took a couple friends to this isolated, but nearby location to enjoy a few days away from it all. We decided to "car camp" which gave us the leisure of bringing anything and everything you'd always want on a camping trip. Scotty and I planned dinner- steak, zucchini, onion, and pepper shishkabobs with cornbread and brownies for dessert. There's nothing like cooking a meal over the campfire with friends. Randy brought his guitar and we spent most of the night chatting, singing praise songs, eating smores, and snuggling down in our warm tents while the rain drizzled outside. Dani and Randy took charge of breakfast, mastering the small gas grills to produce scrumptious french toast, eggs, and bacon. I think food really does taste better that is cooked outside!

The last week or so has been pretty pivotal for our church planting team. We met at our house on Thursday to discuss the possibility of starting to meet apart from the church we are all attending now, which would be on schedule with the date of January for splitting off on our own. Our leaders, Greg and Faith, have had to delay their return to Bolivia from the states until early March, but the team felt as a whole that they wanted to go ahead and begin meeting seperately instead of waiting for the leaders to return. Scotty and I have been communicating back and forth between the team and Greg and Faith, attempting to come up with an option that pleases everyone and more importantly, is what we feel like God is leading us to do as a team. It's good to confront conflict together and learn how to unify and interact in a way that is godly and selfless. Pray for us as we make decisions and have been put temporarily into the leader role until the Hursts' return.

On a lighter, but sad note, we think Spanky is dead. Who's Spanky?? you ask. Spanky is a friendly neighborhood dog that warmed our hearts over the last few months. Yes, he is dirty, shaggy, and seems to think he can jump into the cars of friends (and sometimes on their laps) who come to visit, but there is something special about him. You see, Spanky adopted us immediately and accompanied us on our walks around Mallasilla. At any point during the day, if you look out the window, you will see Spanky trotting down the street to meet any passers-by or other stray dogs with a wag and a smile. Most stray dogs don't get along, but in my limited experience, I perceived that they all made an exception for Spanky. He walks with his head high, his tail wagging, and a with a perky trot. Just watching him cruise the streets with his happy gait would lift your spirits. I even found myself yelling, inside closed windows, from several houses away, "Hi Spanky!!" when I would see him bounce by. But, alas, we have not seen our beloved street dog for weeks. We think he's gone. This is our memorial to Spanky.