Land

We are finally land-owners! After many weeks of bargaining and working with a lawyer to clear all the paperwork, we own a cute little piece of property about 2 blocks from where we live now...we can even see it out our family room window. One morning, as Scotty was heading to what he thought was going to be the meeting with the lawyer and the owner where we sign the dotted line and the land becomes our property, everything became a bit more complicated. He found out that the owner was expecting us to have the total amount we were to pay, in cash, ready to hand over. Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not real comfortable carrying thousands of dollars in my pocket, through downtown, where pocket theft is as common as McDonalds. We brainstormed for a while and immediately began the process of shifting money around from account to account so that we would be able to take out that much at once. Around here, because deception and dishonesty is such a problem on so many levels, you don't get what you're paying for until you produce the money in full. Unfortunately, our land-owning, lawyer friend apparently doesn't have a bank account, so we couldn't just transfer the money there. And, if he did, he doesn't want to have to pay fees on that large sum being transfered, so he'd rather have the cash. We finally agreed that we would sign the papers and then all walk together to the bank where Scotty would withdrawl the money and hand it over. This seemed to be an agreeable deal and according to our many prayers, the transaction went smoothly and safely. Scotty went out this morning to contract 2 neighborhood boys to move a large stack of rocks that sits in front of the garage into our lot so that we can soon have some temporary doors put up to keep out loiterers. The old owner warned us that people liked to use our property "for a bathroom"- as people have a tendency to do whenever and wherever the urge hits them- so we'd like to get some doors up pretty quick. Then we wait. Probably for a couple years. We've spent almost all our money just buying the land, so we've decided to raise some more money and wait until we've returned from our home assignment in 2009 to begin the building process. That gives us lots of time to dream!

Hooray for cinnamon rolls!

I've mentioned Alexander's Coffee Shop in my blogs before- our favorite coffee shop in town, Bolivia's version of Starbucks. Well, long ago I fell in love with their sweet, warm cinnamon rolls- a favorite of mine since childhood. I don't often treat myself to these indulgent treasures, but a while back, I made a pact with myself and Scotty that as soon as I became pregnant, my reward would be a cinnamon roll. Well, here's me with my long-awaited bun!

That's right folks, we have created Bud Miser...well, God did the hard part I'd have to say. We are happy to announce that we have been blessed with a baby, due February 11 and we are ecstatic! We've been talking, thinking, dreaming, and praying about this for some months, and now that it's reality, it's a little scary! But, I am enjoying the process of sharing the news with our friends here and receiving all kinds of interesting baby advice, which I might write a blog about in the future. I'm looking at maternity clothes online, since my options here are super limited, and we're looking forward to having a crib and other baby furniture made to our specifications to turn a guest room into the nursery. God is good in His perfect timing and it is an amazing and awe-inspiring thought that there is a real being inside of me that can live and form into a baby over the next 9 months. Join with us in praying for little Bud and the extra stresses on my body that I might experience living at a high altitude- we trust God is in control.

Graduation

Last night was the graduation ceremony for our Equipping Servants Internship class. There are 15 ESI classes around the country, teaching men (and now one group of women!) important theological truths through studying the scripture and other texts that inform and equip us to become more effective and loving, Christ-like leaders. Not only does the class require quite a bit of time in the Word (Romans mostly) and meditation on it, but we share a time of transparency during each class with a small group- sharing our struggles and sins, how much our hearts are on fire for God, and how our relationship with our spouse is going. Scotty and I have both finished the first of 5 modules- each a semester long- and last night we joined 194 other ESI members and their families to receive our certificates. At first I thought it was kind of a silly idea, this graduation ceremony, since the majority of us had not finished the whole course yet. Plus, it was Sunday night and I just wanted to sit at home and watch a movie. But as I watched so many men, and a hand full of women, walk up to the front of the church with big smiles on their faces, I realized what a privilege it is to be a part of such an incredible training process. And to understand better the way God is working in these Bolivian Christians lives, deepening and strengthening their knowledge and understanding of who God is, knowing that they will directly impact the lives of others around the country. This class is seriously transforming and God has the power through it to transform a multitude of people.

Scotty enjoyed his last ESI class last week out at the house of one of his classmates. They studied in the morning and then grilled out at lunchtime. It's neat to see the relationships he has made with these pastors that are in his class, sharing years of godly wisdom with each other.

Fidel Castro

We gave Fidel Castro a jump last night. That's right- Fidel Castro. We were coming down from a friend's apartment and saw a family standing around on the sidewalk. As we were getting into our car, the young father came around to ask if we could give his car a jump. We agreed readily and the process was quick and succesful. He asked what he owed us and we told him nothing. So he whipped out this flashy business card with a picture of a Hummer on it, and told us if we ever needed anything, he owns a car parts store, and would be of help. I'm not sure I trust a car guy who drives a car that needed to be jumped...or whose name is Fidel Castro.

Hostess with the mostest

Ok, so maybe I don't have the "mostest" (what kind of word is that anyway?)...but I am really enjoying playing hostess these days. Last week, our friends James and Julie moved in for 5 or 6 days while their parents took over their small apartment in town. I enjoyed waking up early and chatting with Julie before both of us took off to our respective activities of the day. They came home late after a full day of showing the in-laws around town, for Julie, and finishing the last week of teaching high school math and science, for James. We would drink tea on the couches and chat for a few minutes before the 4 of us crashed. The day we left for Cochabamba, Whitney came to stay. She's finishing out her last week with us, having just completed her teaching work as well, and excited to return back to States to plan her wedding which will be in December. J & J moved out on Sunday and so we're down to just the 3 of us- it's like being married and having a great, female roomate at the same time! Whit and I also enjoy hanging out in the mornings and over dinner- she's the type of person who will join in on the dish cleaning and other household chores without being asked. Usually we tell her not to, but she insists. I've prepared a yummy meal of taco casserole for dinner and invited over a handful of our friends to wish Whitney safe travels back home. We'll be driving her up to the airport at about 3:45am. Dang, that's early...

It's a joy to have people in our house. When we were first married, I had to work myself into having people over- it was something I always wanted to be a high value in our family, but I wasn't quite sure how to do it and make it fun. Little by little, my cooking skills increased and I continue to perfect the art of relaxing and not expecting everything to be perfect. Sometimes my herbed potatoes are a little too crunchy or my chicken casserole is a bit bland- but I know that everyone participating is being blessed by the time spent together in a home. Making the connections, laughing with people, doing dishes together afterward- it's all part of the call God has on us to show hospitality to each other. Young, old, single, married- I have been challenged to continually open my home and let people live life with us, even if it's messy. God is blessing us and others in that process, and I hope to continue growing in that way.

Root beer-worthy

From time to time I'll find Diet Root Beer in the supermarket here- one of my favorite sodas from home (I don't drink a lot of soda and prefer the dangers of fake sugar to that of real). I usually buy a couple and save them up until I've had a bad day and need a treat or I'm doing something exciting that warrants an imported beverage. Scotty and I left on Thursday morning for Cochabamba, the city where I worked for 2 years with youth before we got married. There was a graduation going on Friday night for a class that had many youth I very much enjoyed spending time with and we were hoping to see them walk and also visit with some other families we know in the city. Our drive started out eventful...We decided to take a backroad up to El Alto, where you leave the city on the main road heading toward Cochabamba. On the way up, our little station wagon lost steam on a hill (it wasn't even that steep) and Scotty had to get out into the dusty road and give her a push to get us going again. Once we got to the top, we noticed that all the vehicles were suddenly leaving the highway and either turning around or heading out toward the dirt roads and fields that parallel it. A group had gathered and was growing, starting to throw rocks into the street and look ready to throw them at any car that tried to pass the human/rock blockade. We quickly realized that a blockade is not somewhere we, or anyone else, should be, so we followed the public transport vans up and down the rocky backroads until we had driven far enough to get back onto the main road. This had both aspects of a root beer-worthy occasion: stress and excitement! The trip was quick after that and we found ourselves pulling into warm, breezy Cochabamba in no time. First stop- awesome American style movie theatre with food court. Why don't they have anything like this in La Paz?? We caught a matinee with friends, after taking a stroll around the area to find a donut shop (also not found in La Paz) to make me envious of those who live there. Next stop was the SIM guest house where we were hoping to find the parents of one of the youth who was graduating- a family we know and love and spent some time with when we were in NC last year. We enjoyed catching up with them for a few minutes and then Scotty and I had a date at my favorite restaurant in the city. I ordered Surubi in an herbs and nut sauce, which was delicious- Surubi is a large, jungle river fish that makes a nice steak. After dinner and a stroll around one of the more active strips in the downtown area, we headed to our old Spanish teachers house. What a blessing this family has been to us- making us one of their own and opening thier home for us whenever we are around. We feel very comfortable there and amoung friends. We crashed early, hoping the coca tea I drank right before bed wouldn't keep me up all night reliving the memories of Scotty and I falling in love in that place- although that wouldn't be so bad! The next day was full with more running into missionary friends, SIM official business, shopping, and lunch with the same couple that came to watch the movie with us. We began to realize what a wonderful vacation spot Coch will and has become for us as time goes on. Friday night was graduation, the first time I had been back to this Christian school in over 2 years. So many familiar faces! The night went better than I expected- seeing more youth than I thought I would and a few who already graduated that returned from the states for the summer, catching people up on our lives, remembering the joy and challenge it is to work with teenagers. Scotty and I both caught the vision of being more involved in the lives of the youth at the Christian school in our little community of Mallasilla and prayed that when we have high school aged kids, they will have adults in their lives to impact them for Christ. It was so fun to be back! Another good nights sleep and we were on the road this morning. The trip in bus takes about 8 hours, but we shaved off the time to about 4 1/2. We stopped along the way to hike up to some fun rock formations and stretch our legs a bit at a little over 13,000ft. Breathtaking in more ways than one.

Scotty and I enjoying the scenery.

Sometimes you have those little get-aways when you see that God really wanted to bless you, cause you to enjoy your spouse more, remind you of the great relationships He's structured around you. I am thankful for those times and know this was one of them.

Land update

For those of you who receive our newsletters (let me know if you don't and want to!), you know that we have been praying about a piece of property that we found nearby that is for sale. The cool thing is that the guy who owns it did not plan on selling it originally- but because we take lots of walks around the neighborhood and frequently ask about land for sale, Scotty was able to make a connection with Macario and give him our phone number, just in case he ever decided to sell it. Not too much time passed after that before he called and explained that he was in need of money to finish building an apartment complex and he would be willing to talk with us- God's hand obviously at work. We've chatted off and on about the piece, but we weren't quite prepared to offer what he wanted for it. We continued to pray and he asked us to think about raising our offer and getting back to him. We lost touch for a month or so because he was in the process of moving, and we were starting to wonder if that wasn't God's way of showing us that wasn't the land He had for us. But, a day after praying again, on-site, Macario rang us up and wondered what we had decided. We had him over that very afternoon and once again made an offer that we felt good about. He accepted, afer a bit of discussion about it, and so we are one step closer to owning property! Today, we went to see a lawyer and show all the papers to her to make sure everything is in order and legal. In Mallasilla, nothing is very official, and we have heard numerous stories of land being sold to several parties, and then legal feuds resulting to figure out who is the real owner...that is never pretty. So, the lawyer was generally encouraging, although there are a few things of concern that she is going to help us investigate a bit more. We are getting very excited to think we might own land soon. I admit I am a bit scared because the process is something so new and foreign to us, as well as possibly tricky and definitely expensive. But we trust the Lord to provide for us and to take care of us, and we already see how He has given us great contacts in the area to help us along.