Smog and Divine hair appointments

I just wanted to rant a bit about the smog issue here in La Paz. I know it's in a lot of other places too, but I find it annoying that even though there is a new law saying that vehicles older than 5 years can not be brought into the country, there is nothing in place to keep old, exhaust spewing other vehicles off the streets. The only road up to Mallasilla is a 2 lane, windy, uphill (one-way, obviously) road that many trucks travel as they are heading out to construction sites in this area. I would say that most days, without exaggerating, I get stuck behind a dump truck or a public transport bus or some guys old car that he can't afford to fix that bellows foul, lung polluting exhaust into my face. Sometimes I can pass these people, but a lot of times I am confined to my lane because there is oncoming traffic or a curve which blocks my view of oncoming traffic. I have to admit, in my desperation to breath and not get lung cancer, I have taken minor risks to get around these vehicles. And it's not just on this road but any that you travel in the city. Without emission laws and with most people choosing to spend their money on other things, a fair amount of vehicles on the road have this problem and I add that to my list of concerns for my children who will grow up breathing this in from day one. Just had to get that off my chest...

On a more positive note, Scotty has found a new hairdresser that he likes a lot. Because his hair grows so fast, he sees her somewhat frequently and several months ago, was able to invite her to church on a Sunday that he was preaching. She came with one of her daughters and then came to the next women's Bible study we had the following Friday. She's not always there, but she's come to several Bible studies and I decided to go see her yesterday to get my hair cut and keep up the budding relationship. She has a cute little place that is right off the main path I take to the market and only charges $3! I was able to ask how she likes the church and meet her older daughter who works with her and has a little girl Natty's age. She said she'll come to church this Sunday and I invited them both to be there for our 2 celebration services in October for the 3rd anniversary of IBM (wow!). It's so fun to see people who have such openness to spiritual things and I wonder if I might be able to get to know her daughter since we are close in age and both have little girls. I'm also thankful for a husband who is friendly and can talk to anybody!

Beach Saga: Part Dos

We left off with the heroes of our story wondering what would become of their short vacation time and powerless in La Paz. Well, the power came back on before the night was done and the next morning the same friendly neighbor calls to inform us that the border between Bolivia and Chile has opened! There is rejoicing in the house, but it's still a little too early to believe we might actually stand on the beach that evening. We set off with the little girls again, not so early this time, and are determined that things will go well with us. The border is quite a bit further along- around 4 hours or so from La Paz. When we make it, we go through the customary checks, throw out our fresh foods and go inside to pay our debts (again). We're informed and alarmed by our friends that we missed an important step in our crazy border hopping yesterday. Although we got stamped out of Bolivia after getting our vehicle approved, we didn't get stamped back in when we left after being turned away at the Peru side. Therefore, we'd have to be fined 300 B's each ($40+ dollars) plus whatever the normal fees are for leaving/entering the country. This trip is becoming expensive!! God worked mightily in our favor by causing the border controllers to be compassionate and understanding of our situation. They were able to bring down the fine and give us the stamp we needed. As our car was being checked by customs for contraband, an official Chilean lady came over to check on the car's papers. We handed her the notarized document, having been assured by several others the day before that it was what we needed to get across. From inside the car, Pauli and I see her shake her head "no" and demand something different. The boys rapidly explain that we did everything we were required to do and were approved on the Bolivian side. A few other officials came over and seemed to side with the lady. I start growing nervous and start praying more. Finally she calls her boss over, who looks like he's struggling with effects of the altitude (someone along the way thought it'd be funny to make the border between Chile and Bolivia at 15,500+ ft!), who quickly assures her what we have is sufficient. She was demanding a copy of what we had for her files (even though the other border yesterday would not accept a copy!), but there was no copy machine between the border and La Paz! Again, God worked and they finally allowed us through. Then there was much rejoicing, chocolate eating and praising God. Then about 3 1/2 more hours of driving...very windy, very bumpy, pot-hole-filled roads. It was painful and long and we just wanted to get there already. We finally did around 6:30, got out, took a quick bathroom break, were welcomed by very friendly hotel staff, shown our gorgeous apartment with beachside balconies, and off for a quick and chilly walk on the beach! September, apparently, is still not warm enough to do the kind of beach trip that I love. However, with a sweater and pants, Natty was warm enough to absolutely revel in her time in the sand and a bit in the waves with Daddy's help. She woke up every morning and from every afternoon nap requesting to "see the beach?". She was obsessed...just like Mommy. Every morning was cold and overcast, so we took mornings to do other chill beach activities like shopping. By lunch every day the sun burned off the clouds, I would head onto the balcony to read while Natty took a nap, and around 4 we would all head out with the girls to play in the sand and surf. They were relaxed days with fresh fish, cold breezes, beautiful water and fun. I am thankful for them, even though our beach time equaled our total car time- it was worth it. The girls enjoyed each other and we very much enjoyed Andrew and Pauli. I began to get nervous about the drive back after having experienced the state of the road on the way down and realizing that we climb over 15,000ft. in about 3 hours. For those of you who have never experienced that kind of altitude, it can bring on serious nausea, headaches, difficulty breathing and be quite dangerous for pregnant women because it leaves your body starved of O2. Our moms know this, so I'm not afraid to put that in here. :) I repeatedly sought the Lord in this and asked for the assurance that He gives that He would take care of us. We took the drive back slowly, stopping several times to stretch and eat and take oxygen from the small tank that has become a part of our family. And we made it to the border with no problems! And through the border with no problems!! Praise God for that! The girls were exhausted the whole time and either dozed or watched the little DVD player we had hooked up between the front two seats and we were home in 9 hours. So, there ends the beach saga. It was a learning experience in travelling 3rd world style and also a great time of rest with our friends. I am grateful for God for taking care of us in all of it.

Beach Saga: Part One

We've just returned from Arica, Chile and I've had a blog burning in my skull since day one. We woke up around 5am in order to beat the truck traffic on the highway from Bolivia to Chile and as we were pulling out of the house around 7am, our neighbor stuck her head out the window to inform us that the border was being blockaded and no one would be able to pass through. Bummer! This was not a good start for our trip. We quickly changed plans and realized we'd have to figure out how to get to the Peruvian border and would then cross through Peru and enter Chile on that side. We had the pleasure of traveling with our friends Andrew and Paulina and their 2 year-old daughter, Lily. So, the 2 girls were strapped into the middle seat of the truck we had borrowed from a friend, the ladies were in the back, and the boys were navigating up front. It took about 3 or so hours to make it to the border, driving through the beautiful Andean plain at 14,000 ft. There was a moderate line at customs, but we began the process of filling out papers, showing documents, paying fees to leave the country, etc. The girls were doing well, but the pregnant moms (did I forget to mention Pauli is 7 months pregnant and I am 6?) squeezed into the back were already slightly uncomfortable after several hours of driving and suffering from small bladders. After going through most of what we needed to do, we headed to a separate building where we would get clearance for the car to go through. Scotty presented the paper that Andy, the owner of the car, had typed up and signed giving his permission for us to leave the country with his car. That was not acceptable, however. We were told it needed to be done by a notary and that we'd have to go back to La Paz. No. This can't be happening. We've come this far! We rack our brains with ideas from having him fax us a notarized copy (is there a fax machine in this tiny border town?) to finding a notary there who might be willing to give us the official stamp. They don't accept faxes or copies and there was no notary from the border to La Paz- NO ONE. After becoming very discouraged we come up with the plan of sending Scotty back to town by taxi, which would be faster, and leaving the 5 of us to eat, rest and wait. Scotty immediately finds a taxi and takes off. We start looking for a road out of town that will give us a more scenic spot to eat lunch. As we're turning around, we see Scotty coming back up the street shaking his head. He's talked with Andy who can't get free until later in the afternoon and who also reminded him that we probably won't find an office open until after 3, which was a bit later than we'd be arriving. We decide we'll all go back to La Paz and wait as long as it takes. I'll shorten this bit and just say we made it back, found an open and willing notary, got Andy to meet us and had the official sheet of paper that we're told will get us through any border in about 2 hours of waiting and $40 later. Now, back to the border. We're praying and hoping and have realized that we'll only be able to make it into Peru but won't get to the Chilean border early enough to cross (borders close around 7pm). We'll stay in a border town for the night and go for it in the morning. We informed our travel agent who called our hotel and let them know, who also informed me that there's no way they'd bump up our reservations and let us extend without cost for the 4th night we had already paid for. "No hotel in the world would do that", our friendly travel guide replied to my plea. We make it to the border, get cleared with the Bolivian side, rejoice and head on to the Peruvian checks. We're shortly informed that Peru doesn't have any agreements with Bolivia and will not accept our notarized document and there's nothing they can do. Again, I go into denial. We've come and gone and come and the Bolivian customs told us this was what was necessary! We quickly realize they knew all along that Peru would not accept it, but were just doing what they needed to do on their side. Apparently, Peruvian customs turns people back all the time for trying to drive borrowed vehicles into the country. We are beside ourselves and all of us near tears or already crying. Pauli and I decide we'll go in, looking very pregnant, and maybe take a crying toddler. We've been in the car all day and we're being told we can't get through. We know we're losing a night in the hotel. We're upset. We plead, we throw the pregnant and toddlers card- all to no avail. Before we know it, we're back on the road, going home. I can't remember when I've been so disappointed. We decide to regroup when we get home and pray that the border between Bolivia and Chile is open in the morning and try that route. And wouldn't you know that when we get here, there's a black-out and we have no power?? Perfect. However, Andrew whips up a nice spaghetti dinner for our hungry bellies and tired souls (gas stove) and we all crash bewildered and wondering how we'll make it to the beach and if it's worth putting ourselves through another entire day of driving (we were 14 hours in the car on Monday) on Tuesday. To be continued...

Jehovah's witnesses

I headed up into town this morning after my swim for my monthly prenatal check-up. Today was the first day in a long time that it's started out bright and shiny with no clouds in the sky. I was totally loving being squished in the back of a taxi trufi with 2 large men, cause I got the window seat and had the sun on my face and wind in my hair. I arrived about 40 minutes before my appointment was scheduled so I walked up to a large plaza to sit on a bench in the sun and to pray. Shortly into my moment of silence, an older, nicely-dressed woman walks over and asks if she can read some scripture to me. I informed her that I was a Christian and she said that was fine and she'd like to read the scripture anyway. I said that'd be great and she opened to Isaiah to read about the faithfulness of God and about His watchcare over us. I felt like the Holy Spirit was using her to speak truth directly into my soul and was grateful to hear God's word spoken to me. I asked her at one point if she spent her days witnessing to people in the plaza and she said she is usually with a group but they hadn't shown up yet. I asked her if they were from a particular church and she answered they were Jehovah's witnesses. Ah! I should have known. There are tons of those guys around here and they often knock on our door on Saturday mornings. She explained that the one difference they have from Christians is that they don't believe in the unity of the trinity. God comes in 3 different forms and is, in fact, 3 different gods. I asked her about the verse that says "The Lord your God, the Lord is one." As that verse sprang to mind, I prayed that I would remember where it was found. I couldn't. Then we looked at John 1 and she showed me from her Bible where it says, "...the Word was with God and the Word was a god." What?? Is this a Bible that only Jehovah's witnesses use? I ask. "Oh, no", she assures me, "There is only one word of God". Yes, but I promise my Word says something different- namely, "The Word was God." Uno. One God. I had already decided I wasn't going to get into a theological debate with her. So, I explained I had a doctor's appointment I needed to get to and that I believe the mystery of the trinity is that the 3 persons of the trinity are one God and that the only way to Him is through Christ. She thanked me for listening and I left praying for her eyes to be opened to the truth. I was impressed by 2 things by this JW: one, she knew her scripture, probably better than I. I couldn't remember where the key verse was that states that the Lord is one. Two, she was out walking up to strangers in order to share scripture with them and convince them of what she is convicted of. She probably does this frequently. How often do I do this? Even with people who aren't strangers? Very challenging...

Then I had a fantastic visit with my obstetrician. Every time I see her I am so thankful that we have found her and wish it could have been that she was our doctor with Natty. Her line of thinking is so much more natural than anyone else I have talked to here and I feel so confident that, barring some unforeseen medical problem, I'll be able to have a VBAC with this baby. Hooray for good doctors!

Week(s) in review

Natty and I have been spending A LOT of time together lately. The week before last she was very sick. It was one of the hardest weeks I've had in a long time. She had continual high fevers and no particular symptoms to help us figure out what was causing them. She lived on tylenol andor ibuprofen for a week, which I didn't love, and then had to take antibiotics for a week as well. There were many things that happened in that week that reminded me that God is good, He is in control and He cares for us. When Natty spiked the highest fever, I was able to call my pediatrician on her cell phone at almost midnight. She talked me through what course of action we should take and for the next few days took at least two calls a day from me on her cell, checked in on Natty herself, made a make-shift office for her in a beautician's salon when she was working another job that kept her out of her own office, and was extremely loving and concerned through the whole process. She apologized repeatedly for not being in her office and for having to do so much on the fly. I tried to explain to her without crying (stress + pregnancy hormones= lots of crying) how grateful I was that she was helping us so much and going out of her way, even interrupting a busy, second job, to see us. Scotty was able to help me continually throughout the week. I was able to stay home with her all day, every day without needing to be anywhere, or could leave her with our house help if I had to leave. AND, she was better enough for us to go out on Friday night to celebrate our 5th anniversary. So, God was so good in all that. And, she started recovering relatively quickly after we got her on antibiotics. However, I still fought fear and sadness constantly! I felt like I prayed constantly as well, but did not experience the peace that I really needed from the Lord. I don't attribute this to anything but my own lack of faith. It was a real eye-opener to me to realize how little faith I have when it really matters and was reminded often of a Beth Moore study we are doing with our ladies in the church. It talks about experiencing God's presence and peace and that coming through a myriad of things, one of which is believing Him to be who He says He is and believing that He'll do what He says He will do. I had a hard time with that but was happily challenged to keep trying and ask for His spirit to help my unbelief. I am praising God that Natty is totally well and making up for a week of not eating by eating constantly. And, I am praying that the whole thing has made me a bit more firm in the Lord.

So, since I was home all week the sick week, last week was a whirlwind of visitors and dinners and out of town guests. It was fun, but this house saw more traffic than it has for a while. It made me feel good to be so useful to people, or just involved relationally, but I don't think I could keep that pace every week. On Thursday we had a wonderful couple come in who have been missionaries in Alaska, Canada and India for over 30 years. They are my parents age but I think they are younger at heart than me or Scotty or a whole lot of other people I know. They also have a passion for people, the Lord, and relationships that is challenging and infectious. They will be coming to Bolivia long-term- they're just not sure where yet. Our whole team is rooting for them to settle here and Natty has found another set of grandparents in them. They took to her quickly and she was playing only with them whenever they were in the house. It's a blessing when God brings people like that into your life, especially when you are far from family, and I think we all could learn a lot from their intense desire for relationship and evangelism. I'm happy, however, for a quiet Sunday afternoon to reflect on the week and take a deep breath. I think this week will be somewhat busy again and then the following week we're going to Arica, Chile to chill on the beach for 4 days- woohoo!!