Absence

They say "absence makes the heart grow fonder". Has this been true for you in this lull of time when I haven't been writing? Or is more like, "absence makes me check Lisa's blog less". I wouldn't blame you if it were the latter. It's been one of those things where I can't give any exciting, concrete examples of why I've been away from the blog- I love to write- but I just don't seem to have as much time as I once did. It could be because the only quiet time I have is when Natty is asleep, and when Natty is sleeping, I am often sleeping. Or doing nothing. Or skyping a friend. I can share that we had a wonderful Spiritual Life Conference, the yearly SIM Bolivia retreat, in Cochabamba a few weeks ago. There were a handful of families on home assignment this year, so the group seemed minimal (about 80 people total, to give you an idea of how big SIM is in Bolivia) and I actually enjoyed that more because it gave this introverted girl more of a chance to talk to people I wouldn't necessarily interact with at other times. We had the pleasure of introducing our beloved pastor Edgar to our mission family as the guest speaker this year and he blew us all away with challenging, encouraging, moving, and Christ-centered messages each morning that I was very thankful for and that really impacted each person who heard him. Natalie went at 8:30 each morning to her own baby kids room where there was play-doh, games, toys and crafts shared with about 4 other kids until after lunch around 12:30. She was a champ! Since our church and most churches here in Bolivia don't have nurseries, she has rarely been left alone with people she doesn't know and isn't much a fan of it. She would cry hard each morning when we left, but everytime it happened a little less and the teachers would tell me each day that she seemed to be enjoying herself more. I was EXTREMELY grateful for the 2 ladies that would watch our babies each day and give us concentrated time in the Word, with others or doing whatever was planned for us that morning. Then Natty would nap till 3ish and we would usually have the type of afternoon activity that she could accompany us to or she would go back to her class. I was nervous that I wouldn't enjoy conference this year as much as previous years because of the complications of having a baby but I got more out of it than I ever have and enjoyed interactions with people more than ever, too! I told a few people that I think it was the first time I didn't feel like such a newbie kid and now had the common bond of being a parent and a few years older to help me feel more comfortable with myself and my surroundings. After conference, Scotty needed to stay in town for another 5 days or so for mission leadership meetings, so Natty and I hung out at the guest house with some other families and played with their kids and I tore through 2 cheesy Christian romance novels (I groan just to admit that- sorry for all the fans out there) and Scotty convinced me to let him buy our country director's motorcycle. I told him I would never let him get a bike here- the driving is too crazy and dangerous. But, when we looked at our budget and realized we'd really like to build a house this year, we decided that buying a motorcycle (after selling his landcruiser) was a much better deal than shelling out upwards of $15,000 for a 12-year old truck (vehickles are more expensive here). And that brings me to my next update- we've hired an architect!! Yes, we decided to hire the same guy that the church is using to build our sanctuary because we love his style and he is professional and easy to work with. He's drawn up an initial plan for us that we like bits of, but is far too large in general and will need some tweaking. We also are not sure where all the money is going to come from for this house, but we're praying, talking and brainstorming a lot. Our dream would be to start in a few months, but I have to admit I'm a bit skeptical (always more so than Scotty) about this. Mostly just because things always take longer to do here and we still don't have the 2 lots legally joined as one, which is necessary before building. Anyway, it's exciting and a huge step forward.

I have to say we are both feeling sadly less involved in direct ministry than we would like to be. Scotty has been busy with administrative stuff related to his new role as ministry coordinator of La Paz and I don't really have a good excuse other than I get busy with Natty and forget that I can take her to do ministry related visits with me. It's something God really is helping me feel less guilty about but didn't take away that desire to do it and recognition of how important it is. I'm hoping to start a Bible study with a woman in the neighborhood that has been consistently attending church but may or may not be a Christian.

Well, I'll stop there so as not to overwhelm you. And, I'll try to be more consistent. Thanks for reading. :)