Oh, this again?

Our team from First Presbyterian Church, Crossville, TN.

On Sunday we wrapped up a week of having a fantastic team from our church in Crossville, TN here.  They spear-headed our Spiritual Emphasis Week at Highlands, sharing the word and lots of love with K4-12th grade.  We hosted our pastor and 2 of his teenage kids for the week and loved having them see what life looks like here for us.  They not only spent time at school, but each night had the chance to have dinner at a teacher's house and met our beloved church family as well.  Wouldn't you know it that before they even finished out the week at school, Coronavirus made its unwelcome arrival in Bolivia and the country immediately shut-down in order to prevent the spread.  So, without the chance to say good-bye to the kids, we were all informed that school would be immediately canceled until the end of March, per the president's instructions.  What to do??

Well, we rode the cable cars and tourist shopped till we dropped and ate delicious food and climbed a mountain and played games and ate some more.  It was so fun to see our Natty hanging out with the 4 teens in the group, being encouraged by the example of faith that brought each of them over the equator to serve.  Pastor Andy was on the schedule to preach Sunday and word came on Friday that they were cancelling the church service.  We planned on recording it Saturday to put on Facebook on Sunday, but then they changed their minds and decided to open the church doors on Sunday for the few who lived nearby and wanted to come.  Much commentary has been made about not participating in the usual cheek kiss as a greeting and I can't tell you how funny it feels to walk into a room of Bolivians and not great each one with a kiss on the cheek.  Standing at a distance and waving is a cold form of greeting that I have really gotten unaccustomed to.

Sunday evening I began printing off the homework and lessons for the kids that had been sent through our online classroom.  I pulled out the folders I had bought back in November when the country was in political turmoil and it wasn't safe to be in school.  This process felt all too familiar- online classroom, staying at home, stocking up on food and toilet paper (which, thankfully, has not become an issue here in La Paz like it apparently has in the U.S.).  The situation is different, but it honestly has brought up some of the same anxious thoughts and feelings.  Pastor Andy brought such a beautiful and comforting reminder Sunday morning of the expansiveness of God's grace and love for us.  His reminder of God's sometimes surprising faithfulness in light of our sinfulness was truly encouraging and just what I needed to focus my heart and mind.

So, we'll stay in our homes as much as possible like the majority of the world right now and see what God has in store.