Bonfires and Baby showers

Hannah Hurst turned 9 on Friday and we were happy to be invited to one phase of her surprise birthday celebration. We offered our land to have a weenie roast/smore toast- Scotty has been collecting burnable stuff for quite some time and has plenty for several bonfires. We gathered around together to enjoy a yummy meal and celebrate Hannah- the sweet, middle daughter of our good friends, Greg and Faith. Scotty had recently pushed down a section of the wall that divided our two pieces of property and it gave us a new perspective of both lots together- we can't wait to build a house there!
These 2 beautiful ladies threw me a baby shower for me and all my foreign friends on Saturday. Knowing me well, they made it a brunch and I loved every minute of breakfast food and great chats with this community.
Julie is one of my 3 friends here that has had her first baby this year, also a girl, and I'm blessed to be surrounded by other women going through this fun, new phase.
Jana's mom is in town and shared a few points of godly wisdom she has picked up as a mom and now as a grandma to Jana's adorable baby girl, Emma. Thanks Momsy!!

The girls gathered round to lay hands on me and pray for me, Scotty, the baby and all that we are entering in to as new parents. What a gift to be lifted up to the Lord by these godly women.

Adventures in Bolivia

For a good look at some of the unique aspects of Bolivian tourism and a feel for the dramatic dynamics of the countryside, check out this article from the New York Times.

Saturday church fun

Is and Vianka grillin' up lunch.

This past Saturday we had a special church service and lunch together. Sunday was a nation-wide revote for the president and all the prefects of the different departments in the country. If each official did not receive a certain percentage of the vote (depending on what they received upon being voted in), they would be ousted- including the president! This is an interesting way of doing things, but the president was hoping, and succeeded, in proving he was still well supported and also wanted to be able to put a few more of his men in high positions if some of the "others" could be voted out. Anyway, this referendum Sunday meant that no group of more than 10 could gather and no private transportation was allowed- so we had church on Saturday.
We weren't sure we'd have much of a crowd, since many do their shopping on Saturday or have family activities.

One of my favorite neighborhood ladies, Teri, hanging out with the kids.

But, we had a huge turn-out of both children and adults and enjoyed eating sausage sandwiches, playing outside in the sun, and listening to a great devotion by our fellow missionary colleague, Kep, who was a guest for our event. It was a really fun way to spend the day and we are thankful for the new construction of the cafeteria where we will meet for the next couple of years, with higher roof and lots of light. We continue to pray God will unify this body and grow it in depth of faith in Him.

Worshipping together

More fun in third trimester

I've recently thought of a few more particular experiences accompanying the 3rd trimester. And I'm now in my ninth and final month! You could be very pregnant if...

10. ...there is a hefty creature in your belly that braces her feet against both sets of ribs and attempts calf-raises.

9. ...after using the bathroom, you get up to find you immediately need to use it again (or is someone sitting on my bladder?).

8. ...those cute little kicks and taps you felt a few months ago have now turned into the jabs and drags.

7. ...when you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, you feel as though you had a full body workout earlier in the day (oh, if only I could still work out). Why is this?

6. ...every day brings the sensation at some point that you've been horsebackriding for several hours- ouch.

5. ...you realize that even though those adorable, tiny baby clothes are small, they sure make for a lot of laundry.

4. ...even though the books say you won't gain much weight in the last month, your appetite makes you wonder if you're the exception.

3. ...every night you go to bed thinking about what needs to be packed in the hospital bag/what is lacking in the nursery/how will you breastfeed discretely when the pastor comes by for a visit...

2. ...you talk to the baby as if you will see her very soon.

1. ...every morning you wake up thinking that was one of the last good nights of sleep you will have, ever.

Baby shower- IBM style

The iglesia Biblica de Mallasilla threw me a shower last weekend that was lots of fun! I feel very blessed to be surrounded with women (most of whom live in our area) who are so excited for us to be having a baby and have already offered their help many times when we need it. Carmen put together a lovely tea table- complete with dress-shaped cake, adorable place settings, and cookie bouquets. It was a neat time to share and be showered with diapers and other practical gifts that will help us prepare for baby.

Beautiful table with yummies.

Hand knitted booties, white chocolate baby candy, and dress-shaped napkins.

Astrid, Paula, and Fa- blessing me with their friendship.

Baby days

All my girlfriends who have recently had their first babies went home over the summer/winter to visit family and friends. But, they're now all back and as I see them and their new and/or bigger babies, I get excited to join the club and have my little girl too! Scotty and I are taking prenatal classes, sharing the time with just one other couple. You'd think that would be helpful in getting personal attention, which it is if you have a question, but unfortunately the style here doesn't seem to be very interactive. During the lactation class, the instructor held the doll and demonstrated different nursing positions, but we didn't get to touch a doll or practice anything ourselves...aren't we the inexperienced ones about to be thrown into the realities of breast-feeding? We are appreciative, however, for a very knowledgable teacher and classes ranging from breast-feeding to nutrition (seeing a professional nutritionist) to breathing techniques to baby massage. And my sweet husband even asked me this afternoon if I wanted to practice breathing and positioning techniques for when I'm in labor! He's the best. We're enjoying a calmer Saturday than usual, even though there's a lot of activity Scotty's been involved in with the church moving back to it's previous location at the school (from a small classroom to the cafeteria). But, because the ladies of the church are throwing me a shower today, we didn't have any Bible study prep to do and have enjoyed the sunny day walking, cooking, eating, doing devos together, and just now, breathing exercises. And now I'm off to my shower...pictures to follow!

Weekend activities

On Saturday we had a super fun cookout with our small group at the home of Cesar and Teresa and their 2 girls.

Food prep team.

They live nearby and have a beautiful piece of property with a view looking out on the nearby Andes mountains. It was fun to get everyone together for a social event and we felt like this has been our best one yet- with everyone participating and enjoying each others company. We sat around after eating and told most embarassing moments in order to get to know each other better (Scotty's idea)- and it was a great way to spend an hour or so laughing!

Scotty and I have been teaching 10-12 year old Sunday school, trying to learn how to interact with this age group and teach them about the Bible. Many of them bring little brothers or sisters or neighbors with them, as parents are often working on the weekends, which can be a big distraction. But, we are hopeful that the gospel is affecting their tender hearts and we look forward to more opportunities to teach them. Book activity time.

We also attended the wedding of a family that lives in the neighborhood. The couple that got married don't attend our church, but the parents do, and it was neat to get a small group from Mallasilla Bible Church together to celebrate this special day.

Group from the Mallasilla Bible Church celebrating with the happy couple.

La Paz Day adventures

Yesterday was the anniversary of La Paz. We got together with two families from our small group in the morning to hike and picnic together. Here's the crew:

This is the area where we hiked- so pretty!

Scotty handed out peeps to keep the groups morale up:

One of the girls found a rock shaped like a heart. Heart of stone:
Everyone but the pregnant girl played a friendly game of soccer before picnic time:We love our small group!

Errands

A lot of times, days that we choose to run errands can turn out to be either very disappointing, frustrating or both. Today, we had a successful errand day! We decided to drive downtown for several reasons- turn in my wedding ring to a jeweler to have a prong fixed, check the post office for a package that my mom sent about 5 months ago, and hit the tourism shopping street for various gifts. When we arrived at the jewelers store, which is right on a main government plaza, we realized that they had started celebrating "La Paz Day" a day early and there were loud, marching parades and crowds filling the streets. The jeweler was closed at 10:30, being the time that most stores open, so I asked next door and the older gentlemen told me the owner should arrive at any moment. So, we took those few moments to be patriotic and watch the parades. After about 10 minutes, the older man from the store next door waved us down and explained that he just received a phone call from the owner who was travelling and wouldn't be back until Monday. Bummer for us, but kudos to older dude who was nice enough to get our attention and keep us from waiting any longer. I love nice people. So, we headed down to the post office for our next errand. We rarely check this post office because we have updated our PO box to one much closer to where we live and thought that a runner from our SIM office would check it from time to time to make sure there wasn't anything in the box, since most of us have notified everyone of our change of address. Well, we found out that he hasn't been checking it, and those mysteriously missing packages my mom sent had been sitting in the office since March!! My sweet mom had picked up a bunch of danishes back when I was craving danishes and mailed them. Although the "best buy" date was mid-March, Scotty and I busted open a nice, sweet cinnamon one this afternoon and indulged in the blissful goodness that is gas station-style, rot-your-teeth sweet danish...yummy! The cool thing about this trip to the post office was the lady behind the counter. I must admit that the postal workers are not typically the most helpful or friendly crew around, but this lady went out of her way to go check and see if our packages were still there, even though on her list it had been marked that they were already in route to being returned to sender- having sat for so long. Again, I really appreciate nice people. And then the last stop was tourism street. Scotty and I love going here because there is always some kind of Bolivian handicraft that we love and know would make a great gift for someone. I won't go into all our finds, but I did have to post a picture of the most adorable, newborn size, periwinkle (the color of our nursery) Bolivian sweater and hat of all time. For $3, we couldn't resist it for our little one.

Piper on the Prosperity Gospel

John Piper has a gift for helping us get our heads and hearts around and into what God teaches us through His word. If you haven't already seen this clip, please check it out. The prosperity gospel is gaining traction here in Bolivia and pointing out that it is a false gospel is one of the biggest challenges facing Bible-believing pastors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc_FoELt8s

I should be able to embed the video here, but I haven't figured that out yet. I've just begun "What Jesus Demands of the World" by Piper. I'm already under conviction and long to continue reading.

Scotty

3rd trimester "Top Ten"

I've decided there's a few things that have really marked this trimester as being different from the first 2, and it's probably a bit specific to first-time moms as well. So, here is my list in no particular order:

10. You think about the baby coming, what labor will be like, what she will be like, and how life will change after- about 50% of the day.

9. You continue to love eating, but find that any normal size portion will come back to haunt you in a matter of time in many different forms, none of which are pleasant. Small portions only!

8. Lots more strangers rub (not just touch) your belly. When we were flying to Cochabamba, the flight attendent was asking me if I had a doctor's note that allowed me to fly and the whole time we were disucussing the issue, she was rubbing my belly somewhat subconsiously...

7. You feel like you've reached a new milestone in life when the pack n play gets set up. I can't believe we have a huge piece of nursery furniture in our bedroom!

6. You think of most quiet moments together with your husband as "the last, precious few".

5. You find that if there's a lull in conversation with your husband, you want to bring up something baby-related. I'm trying to be merciful to Scotty on this one and be more inventive.

4. You re-read all the same pregnancy, birth, breast-feeding and first year books over again.

3. You have to wake up each time you want to roll over at night to help the belly make the journey.

2. While you're awake, you decide you might as well go to the bathroom AGAIN cause you'll have to soon anyway.

1. You have a hard time tying your shoes.

I'm sure I could do another top 10 list in a few weeks as things continue to grow and change. I really am enjoying the process of collecting baby "stuff" and getting it all together, and sometimes I see that Scotty isn't getting as excited as I am about each little thing. I finally explained it to him today that it's very similar to each time he's gone to the hardware store lately for rubber gloves or a machete- they each are brining us a step closer to the reality of things we are really excited about. For him, it's building on our new land; for me, it's the arrival of our daughter.

Spiritual Life Conference

I'm finally getting around to posting about our week in Cochabamba- I came back from our trip with a terrible cold that seems to be holding on and have been down for a few days. It was a great time with our SIM mission family- listening to ministry reports, being encouraged through the Word, playing games, eating, sleeping, eating more. There was an amazing team that came in from one of our fellow missionaries churches in MN who took care of the kids all day and the pastor spent time with the adults, sharing a message each morning on strength for the marathon. This was a very applicable topic, as all of us are in this for the long haul and can sometimes lose sight of the finish line or get distracted by things along the way and get off course...or just lose heart and energy and give up because it seems too far to go. It's always an encouragement to hear that others are struggling with some of the same feelings or issues that you are and then to hear the truth of God's Word that keeps us focused on what He has called us to and promises to bring us through and keep us to the end. I think Scotty and I both got so much out of the time each missionary would present his or her ministry and talk about both encouragements and discouragements from the past year. God is doing an amazing work in Bolivia and I am honored to be a part of this work and to serve alongside so many who have dedicated themselves to loving and serving the Bolivian church. One afternoon, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of one couples ministry in Bolivia- can you imagine 40 years overseas in the same place?? That was truly inspiring.

Getting big!!

Another fun event was a triple baby shower. Denise is mother of 10 and due with #11 the same day I am due with baby Miser. Roxanna is a fellow La Paz teammate who had her baby earlier this year, but has not had the chance to enjoy a shower yet. So, all the ladies of SIM got together to throw us a special party and bless our babies with love and presents! It was my first ever baby shower and very special to share it with these ladies who I know have been praying for me. It was also neat to hear the various birth stories of these women, many who have had babies in Bolivia, and I got an overall sense that their experiences were beautiful. I am thinking a lot these days about labor and birth and the baby being here and I have a peace that the Lord is going to grant me a great experience as well.

Weekends

Scotty leading small group discussion.

Weekends for us are the busiest part of the week, but usually the most satisfying as well. Saturdays always start early with some sort of church work to be done- meetings or setting up or prep for small group. This Saturday it was a meeting with pastor Edgar at our house at 9. I set the boys up with some cinnamon bread and hid in the bedroom reading Real Simple for the duration of the meeting- a little treat for myself that I felt would be much appreciated by the end of the day. Small group is probably one of the most encouraging aspects of our ministry- we weekly watch the group wrestle with real issues and encourage each other, especially in the arena of parenting. We had our last session of follow-up for the parenting conference, and although these families still have a long way to go in changing some habits, they have also come a long way and made a lot of important realizations about how to be godly parents. Scotty and I have learned a lot in theory, but will see how things go when it's our turn to put it all into practice. Sunday morning's service was beautiful and challenging- there were a handful of people there that we haven't seen for many weeks. Scotty and I both had a break from some normal duties, so we actually got to worship together and sit next to each other through the whole service- also a treat! The afternoon was very restful and we spent part of it doing what Scotty loves to do most- "work the land"! Since we just purchased the 2nd piece of property, Scotty has been itching to get out there to chop branches and pull weed bushes and collect rocks and other random building materials and junk that people have a tendency to throw in empty lots. I could only handle the intense sun for an hour before returning home- but he was at it until sundown. It's really incredible how intense the sun is, even though it's winter, it'll sap every ounce of energy you have in a very short amount of time (especially if you're pregnant). We wrapped up the day with a chapter of Love and Respect, the book our recent Marriage seminar was based on. I'd highly recommend it for any married or engaged couple- revolutionary, yet practical advice. Tomorrow, we're off for a full week to Cochabamba for our annual SIM spiritual life conference. This time of rest and refreshment should be great to recharge our batteries!

Hotdogs and charades

Last night we walked to our neighbors house at 8 to get the San Juan party started. Me and the girls hung out in the kitchen boiling hot dogs, talking about babies, and making cabbage topping for the dogs. The guys sat in the family room making a roaring fire, telling the kids not to get too close, and distracting the kids with card and dice games. Little by little, all the members of our Bible study showed up- the first time they've all been in the same room at the same time- and with all their kids! The house noise volume went up quite a bit as the kids started doing what they do best- play and scream. We were thankful that they all seemed to be enjoying each other. Claudia told me this was the first time she and Sergio were able to have a big group over to their new house since they moved in about 8 months ago and that it's something they've wanted to do for a long time. It was fun to chat with different people and munch on hotdogs and marshmallows. We played a few rounds of charades and tried to teach one of our favorite dice games- liars dice. After a few more marshmallows, it was already past 11 and I was beginning to fade, along with most of the others. We called it a night, but not before making plans to go out for a day in the country as a group on a Bolivian holiday in July. I continue to pray for unity and deeper friendships in this group of great people.It might be hard to tell- but it was really smoky when we woke up this morning from all the tradition fires that were burned all night long.

Super Sunday

Yesterday was one of those great days where you are constantly reminded of the goodness of God and are content in the place He has you in life. Sundays always start early and they are full of activity. Scotty is the first one over to the school to get church set up- usually meeting another guy there to help. I went over with him this week (I'm usually a little behind) and we began setting up Sunday school rooms and organizing a bit. Scotty had lots of nervous energy because he was on for preaching this week. I was excited about teaching the 10-12 year olds in Sunday school, something I have no experience doing. We got everything put together in time for people to start showing up and I ran home to pick up a teenage neighbor boy who wanted to come this week. As time goes on, people are showing up later and later to church- a natural habit here is not to show up on time for events. But, I very much enjoyed worshipping at the beginning of the service, doing my best to not be distracted by those who filed in late. Then the kids were dismissed and I had a nice, small group of 4 to teach about Solomon's temple and talk about what it means to be the temple of the Lord ourselves. After church, we invited the whole congregation to drive a block down to the new land that we signed off on last week to build our own church building. This land buying project has been a source of joy, praise, and a little frustration too. But, the truth that we continually come back to is that God provided in less than 6 months over $180,000 for this property and it is a piece of land that is ideal for us. At one point, we thought it was impossible because the family did not want to sell, but all things are possible for our Lord and He chose to make it available for us again. And now, it is ours! Our church is 8 months old and we already own land!! We went out as a body to pray and thank the Lord for His goodness. It was a neat time to be united together, bringing in the congregation who hasn't been involved in the purchase and helping them to see this is God's good gift for all of us. The neatest moment was when a friend of all of ours who was once very hardened to the gospel but has recently been broken and changed, prayed aloud to God and cried out for the salvation of his son and others in Mallasilla through the ministry of our church. What a special event to be a part of!

Later in the afternoon, Scotty and I headed down to town to hit our favorite coffee shop so that we could work on a special newsletter, drink cofffee, and satisfy my great sweet tooth. We ordered 2 slices of chocolate cheesecake, each slice big enough for 3 people to share! We both ate almost our entire slice without a problem. It was nice to relax and work together on a project. Then we were off to the grocery store to buy several kilos of hotdogs. Today is San Juan day in Bolivia. Fires are burned all over the country today to ward off evil spirits on the coldest night of the year. The more recent tradition is to get together to roast hotdogs, drink and sing. We are getting our small group together to burn a fire in the fireplace of our friends, the Pastens, boil hotdogs and play games- wanting to put a wholesome, Christian spin on this holiday. We see it as a great way to interact with our smallgroup in a more informal, friendly way and get to know each other better. I crashed hard last night, thankful for our great God who truly is at work around us, and the amazing husband and baby in the womb He has blessed me with.

Knitting

Me, Jimena and Julia in the pharmacy

It's funny how God uses things you would never expect to open up relationships around you. Knitting, I have found, is something that almost every woman here knows how to do- taught at a young age in school. Women love to get together to make sweaters or baby clothes and chat away an afternoon. I thought it would be fun to learn how to make a little sweater or blanket for the baby and so have been asking around to see who can teach me. One of our good friends, Jimena, who owns a pharmacy nearby and is in our Bible study, was more than eager to have me come over to the pharmacy during the day to learn. She invited one of the teachers from the school in the neighborhood, who is also a good friend of hers, to come teach us both. I found out Jimena doesn't need a lot of instruction- she's already done several sweaters and other things. I, on the other hand, had never touched a knitting needle before moving here. So, we began to get together from time to time to knit and talk about life and God and family and society. The teacher hasn't been able to come but once, but now I'm in the habit of going to visit Jimena, who stays in the pharmacy from morning till 9 or 9:30 at night, every day! She always invites me back behind the counter, which makes me feel special, and we talk. Scotty and I recently had a tough conversation with a neighbor who is going through some really hard times and so I invited her to our knitting afternoons. She wasn't able to make it, but recently called to tell me she could teach me if I wanted. I readily agreed, wanting any opportunity to have more time to interact with her. She is a sad woman without the hope that comes with knowing Jesus Christ personally, but today as we sat in my living room, knitting and talking, she continued to open up and even listened attentively as I explained what the Bible teaches about salvation and knowing that your sins are forgiven. We talked about all sorts of things and I feel that we began a friendship in a matter of hours- the activity of knitting always keeping things from getting too awkward. I have a long way to go in my sweater-making potential, but I'm thrilled to be having so many chances to interact more with the women God has put around me.

Land deal

The day we've been waiting for was today. After Don Jorge died, the man who was selling us his property, we've been praying hard that his wife and daughter would be faithful to the spoken deal we made with him and would be able to travel from the city where they live to come and sign papers to make the land officially ours. We knew it would be a long process- there are always complications that you don't expect and lines to wait in. Today was no exception, but we had both asked the Lord separately and together for His hand in the process and for patience with unexpected circumstances. We went in early this morning to meet with our lawyer and check the contracts she had drawn up. Then a slow crawl through morning traffic into the city and weaving about the narrow, steep streets of La Paz looking for a parking garage. Being in a vehicle in the center of town is always a nerve-wracking experience for me as you can never predict what other cars, buses and pedestrians are going to do. We eventually found a place to park and began the journey of getting the papers checked, paying taxes that you didn't know existed before, but seem to always come up, paying land transfer fees, and getting everything notarized. We had a snag in the notarization process and hopefully will get it sorted out tomorrow after the daughter gets her documents worked on this afternoon. So, by tomorrow, Lord-willing, the land should be ours! This is the second time Scotty has had to walk through the busy downtown area with thousands of dollars in cash in his shirt- it's the only way to do transactions! Praise God that all is working out!

Chilly!

I know most of you out there are entering into those wonderful, sweltering summer months...but here in Bolivia we are reaching those frigid days where you wonder if you'll ever be able to sit inside your house in less than 3 layers. Will I ever sit down on the toilet without the painful shock of icy toilet seat? Will I ever be able to change clothes without feeling like I'm in a quick-change contest? Will it always hurt my nose and head to breath the air in the morning (even inside the house!). Does it really matter if I forget to put the milk away for most of the day? According to our super-duper inside/outside temperature gauge, it stays around the low-50's INSIDE the house all day long. Brrrr! Thanks Michelle for the ultra-warm maternity puffy black vest!!

Where does the time go?

I don't think I realized how long it's been since I've blogged cause we've been fairly busy around here. The weekend was crammed full of activities, as it usually is, but exceptionally good and uplifiting ones. We had a marriage seminar on Saturday, which about 40 couples attended, led by Pastor Phil and his wife Linda- from Faith's home church in Chicago. Scotty translated, his first opportunity to do so in a large, formal setting, and did fantastically. God has given him a special gift to do this well, with confidence, and a desire to learn how to do it better. We covered material from the book Love and Respect, which we are excited to read together to improve our marital communication and ways of interacting with each other. There were several "break out" times during the conference where you got together to discuss certain issues with your spouse. There were many serious conversations going on around the sanctuary at this time, some couples crying, some laughing, even a few arguing. But, there were definitely some things rising to the surface and being worked on- we like to see this. On Sunday, Phil and Linda invited all the missionary couples in La Paz to a more informal time of talking about having a healthy marriage and family on the mission field. They shared much from their own experiences and things God has taught them over the years, and then gave us all the opportunity to share what is on our hearts. The time was good and there was much brought up that made us all realize that we all tend to struggle with very similar issues. It's not often that you can get that many missionaries from different organizations into one place and be comforted by the fact that you are not alone. God really spoke to me in that time about some things He needed me to see about my personal relationship with Him and my individual ministry apart from Scotty. I have the feeling He is moving me into new territory and know that it will become even more apparent in the next couple months as we welcome our little daughter into the world.

The Lord has also been opening our eyes more fully to the needs of people around us. We've spent some time with several different individuals and families who are struggling in various ways, and although we know we don't have all the answers and can't "fix" them, God wants us to be a part of their suffering. And so we are also seeking ways to walk along side of our neighbors and friends and be a light in their dark worlds. It is a challenge not to take on their burdens and want to solve their problems, but we are often reminded that God's grace is big enough for all their needs and that it is His work alone to change their hearts. We pray He will do it.

And, I've officially (according to some sources) started my third and final trimester. What a gift God has given us in a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby. We're slowly getting the nursery put together and look forward to my mom coming shortly before the due date to put some finishing touches on things. I think I'll feel more ready after prenatal classes and the hospital tour, because right now, having an infant in the house seems like a very foreign idea. But, the frequent taps on my belly from something inside remind me that she is not too far away from coming out to meet us!

Home again

We had such a great trip to Coch, even though it started off on a rough note. As we were packing up to leave, the doorbell rang and Scotty ran down to see who it was. He was out there for a while as I finished up making our lunch for the road and I peeked out the window to see him listening to a woman talk away at him. I wrongly assumed it was someone seeking our monetary assistance, as is somewhat common around here, and so I decided I'd go down with an armfull of stuff to put in the car to make the point that we were getting ready to leave. As I opened the door, Scotty was there and explained that this was the wife of the man who is selling us our land, and that he was killed in a car accident on his way to Cochabamba a few days earlier. I was so shocked, I could hardly believe my ears! Just the night before he left, we had been at his house, giving him a down-payment and making plans to cook out in his brick oven when he got back to town. We felt like we were definitely starting a friendship with this man and looked forward to inviting him to church and hearing more crazy stories about when he was a war prisoner during the reign of a dictator years ago. And now we were hearing he had passed away on the same journey we were about to take. It was sad news indeed. God is good and put it on the heart of his wife (who lives in a different city...we're not sure what that is all about) to maintain the verbal agreement we had with Jorge and continue the land deal. Neither of us had signed a contract of any kind, but had a verbal agreement, which is a strong bond in this culture. His wife and daughter need to find the time to return to La Paz to sign the papers, and we're very prayerfully asking the Lord that nothing will happen in the meantime to change their minds. So, we set off with heavy hearts and a fresh understanding at how precious life is and that there is no time like the present to share the hope of Christ with all. Our time in Coch was fun and relaxing. We had a great time hanging out with the Flores family and always enjoy their hospitality- even their 14 year old, Ana, gives up her room for us. The wedding we attended was beautiful and meaningful, the days were warm and sunny, and we were able to see lots of people. I haven't been back to the international church, where I worked when I was living there, since spring 2005, so there were many old friends and new faces to greet on Sunday. As always, we are happy to be back in our own house (even if there is no running water at the moment and I need to do laundry), and catch up with the happenings of the weekend. We have another busy week ahead with many events to look foward to.

10 Things I love about Cochabamba

Scotty and I are leaving for Cochabamba today. Besides being my first home in Bolivia, where Scotty and I met and got engaged, and home to the world's perfect climate, there are several other things I love about Cochabamba that I always look forward to when we go (in no particular order):

10. Did I mention the climate? It is temperate all year round- never very hot, never very cold.

9. Casa Campestre. A small, wooded resort near my old apartment with a beautiful (if cold) pool and enormous, scrumptious lunch buffet- $5 for the day- all inclusive.

8. Mauge- Scotty and my old Spanish teacher. She encouraged our relationship, encouraged our souls, and taught us everything we ever needed to know about speaking Spanish. We always stay at her house when we go and really enjoy her and her family.

7. Cine Center. Coch has this beautiful, new, American-style theatre- complete with food court and cushy theatre chairs- but with Bolivian prices. Now, if they would just play something other than horror flicks...

6. Food! Cochabamba is known for big portions, yummy dishes, and seemingly continuous eating- I think that will mesh nicely with a pregnant woman's needs.

5. SIMers- we always run into or actually plan to hang out with other SIM missionaries that live in Coch that we aren't able to see frequently. There are some quality families in this town.

4. The Cancha- Cochabamba boasts a very large market with a very large used clothes section. Most of the clothes come in from the states and if you dig hard enough and walk around long enough, you will find some great stuff at ridiculously low prices. I'm very hopeful to increase my maternity wardrobe during this trip.

3. The drive over. Bolivia has an incredible, varied topography and the drive from the altiplano- a very high, flat region with huge fields of llamas and distant snowy peaks eventually begins winding through the rocky mountains and descending into the warmer valley of Cochabamba. Although it's about a 5 hour drive, it's a breathtaking ride.

2. Reminiscing with my husband. Coch holds many sweet memories for us and many localations where we pseudo-dated and got to know each other. It never fails that we spend half the time walking around saying "remember when...?"

1. Green! Although the city is still at a fairly high altitude, it boasts many green, grassy parks with flowers and trees dotted throughout. La Paz remains mostly brown throughout the year, and even though it has a few nicely landscaped areas, it doesn't compare to the lushness of Cochabamba.

So, we'll be attending a wedding on Saturday of some friends who will later move up to La Paz and be an adoptive part of our SIM team here and also pick up a rocking chair from a beloved missionary family who will be moving back to Australia after 20 years of service in Bolivia. Mixed in will be much relaxation and enjoying this city that we love so much.

Blessings

We had a couple over for dinner last night that have been attending our small group and are really excited to be learning from other couples how they parent their children and interested in learning how they can change their own techniques to do a better job. This seems to be a standard concern and interest of all the families we know here. This particular couple are fairly young in the faith and over the years have just stopped hanging out with their friends and co-workers because of the terrible, family and marriage-destroying habits they daily practice. It's good to see the way God has worked in this couples lives, despite not being regularly involved in sound, Biblical teaching, but a little sad to hear them admit that they don't have any friends. They have work "companions", but no one they could go to with anything serious or very personal. But, as we chatted last night, we did hear them admit they are really enjoying the process of getting to know other believers through our small group. They came to church for the first time last week and said their kids loved Sunday school and want to come again. That was enough for them to commit to coming weekly, or as often as work responsibilities will allow. It is truly a blessing to be a part of a group like this that is meeting each others needs. or learning to, and walking together on the journey of what it means to live a life devoted and submitted to the Lord. We are so thankful that God has invited us to participate in this great work of His.

Neighborhood store

If you need a coke or eggs or canned milk or bread or toilet paper- there's usually a small, one room store within a block of anywhere where you might be in La Paz. You can't actually enter the store, but look from the gate and ask for whatever it is you might want, and chances are, if you don't see it, it's hidden somewhere. I love that. This morning I woke up and needed eggs to make a dish for our team meeting- I rolled out of bed, put on my shoes, and headed to the neighborhood store. The lady there knows me and looked like she had also recently gotten out of bed- braiding her long, wet hair and looking a little less than fully awake. She counted out 12 nice little brown eggs for me, I handed over my change and walked back to the house, appreciating the perfect blue skies and quietness of the morning in Mallasilla. All in about 5 minutes. I also thanked God for neighborhood stores.

Cheddar and Malphurs

Ok, I feel a little like a "cat lady" posting this picture- but I think our two cats are the most irresistibly cutest cats that ever lived...most of the time. I'm sure once the baby is born, I won't be posting pictures of my cats anymore- don't worry. They snuggle like this every day- how cute is that??

Good day/Bad day

You know how you have those days when nothing seems to work out as you want it to? Scotty and I had one of those days yesterday, for the most part. Going to the market here is usually an exhausting process of driving, looking for parking, lots of walking, searching for one little thing you need in a sea of products (think several Walmarts spread out over dirty, crowded streets full of cars with absolutely no order in where things are), and sometimes never finidng what you need. Well, we decided to make it a market day- realizing that this could possibly be most of what we get done. On the way, we tried to meet up with a guy who is working on some paperwork issues for us to hand over our ID card. After getting bad directions from him and driving around for 20 mins, we finally found the place to meet and he informed us he was with someone else and would be down "right away"...sometimes that means within the half hour, usually not right away. So, as we waited for him in the car, we realized we had forgotten what we needed to turn in to him. In the process, it is nearing lunchtime, I'm hungry, and we haven't even started the shopping spree yet. We finally make it to the market, search high and low for various articles, and find a few others we "needed" that we didn't realize we needed, and then headed to our favorite Cuban restaurant for a late lunch. The rest of the day was full of little frustrations and a few tense interactions between Scotty and me, which always got worked through, but it make for a tiring, long day. Then, everything changed late in the evening. We had set a date to go to a neighbor's house who owns a piece of property we were very interested in buying to talk price and make a deal. He had gone up from what he initially offered us but after much prayer and seeking the wisdom of good friends who have also bought land here, we had come to an agreement between ourselves of what we wanted to offer him. When we got to his house, he started talking about how he'd spoken with his daughter, who has the land in her name, and she felt like the price he had given us was too low. Both of our hearts sunk and as he rambled on, we both prayed fervently for God's grace and guidance in our interactions. We had a long, drawn-out conversation, mostly about things completely unrelated to the property (as he has a tendency to tell stories) and finally came straight out with our price we wanted to pay and our inability to pay any more than that. He seemed relieved to know exactly what we were thinking and almost immediately agreed to accept that price, without counter-offering! God was surely at work here! We left his house with a bag full of lemons and oranges from other land he owns, and happy to have not only a new piece of land (God-willing, after the paperwork goes through), but a new friend too! Then, from the time we left the house this morning, things we weren't even thinking about just started falling into place, the right people to help kept appearing, and the most exciting event of all- the internet company came to our house (unexpectedly) and installed high speed internet in 10 minutes!! I am sitting in my guest bedroom, looking at our present and future land, and writing a blog! I can't explain quite how good this feels. So, we rejoice in the challenges, knowing that God is refining our character and asking us to lean on Him and be patient through the strength His Spirit gives, and we rejoice in the good days, when we know He is being abundantly gracious in making things easier than they have to be.

Fun in the jungle

The fun started on Sunday with the long-awaited move of the Mallasilla Bible Church from the Alfaro's house to Highlands International School- a few blocks down the road. We've been seeing the need for more space for a couple months and we got ourselves in order to find a more permanent home at Highlands. Scotty and I worked to clean up the area on Saturday and set up chairs and equipment. Because of last minute circumstances outside our control over the weekend, we weren't able to coordinate signs to point the way (Highlands is a little hard to find if you've never been there) or some other little details, but much prayer and God's goodness worked all those things out. We saw a high attendence and a general excitement about being in this new place, that although a humble cafeteria by week, really felt like a church on Sunday. We enjoyed lots of worship, a good Word from pastor Edgar, a moving testimony by our friend Dave Fox who has partnered with us from Chicago, along with his church, and communion. After the service we had a celebratory snack and everyone hung around to talk. I think it couldn't have gone better and we hope to continue improving as we go on.

Monday morning we were up early to meet a team from Greg's home church in Dallas. This group consists of youth staff from his church, meaning lots of laughs and fun times- I love youth workers! Our mission was to drive to the mountainous jungle region where there is a Christian camp and work on a few of the unfinished apartments that are being built in the hopes of hosting families and couples in a more comfortable and private enviornment than the normal larger cabins. One apartment had been started a few years ago and was left to be habitated by large wasp nests and bats. The bats had been cleared out (all but one, which scared me and my painting partner a bit as we were wiping bat poop off the walls where he lived), but the wasps had been left for us. Part of the camp time was also leadership strategy training- how to improve our team dynamics as leaders in our various ministries. The wasps proved to be our first challenge. It turned out that the best idea was dip some socks in alcohol, tie them to the end of a long stick, light it, and burn/poke the nests down. I stood far away to watch this one, but couldn't resist watching. It actually worked and we found that the strange thing was that either these were incredibly passive wasps or God was doing a mighty job of protecting all of us. Many of the guys were right up by the nests, even aggrivating them, and never got stung. There were quite a few hunks of nest and wasp scattered over the ground, but they were never aggresive and as we worked, everyone escaped without the slightest fear of a sting. This apartment was a disaster, but the team organized itself, we each stuck to our pre-determined roles, and we were able to clear out a ton of junk, wipe down walls, paint, and screen in some windows in a matter of a couple work periods. And, we had a lot of fun doing it! We also enjoyed the various team-building exercises, led by a Christian leader training group out of Santa Cruz, and were challenged to think about how these practical and Biblical examples could improve the leadership situation we are in personally. We feel like we've already made some good friends and look forward to more time with this team this weekend as we, the Mallasilla Bible Church, join them for a group work project at an orphanage in El Alto.

Cat skeleton that we found when cleaning out the apartment- some were convinced it was a bat.

Wallyball

Wallyball is a much loved sport here in Bolivia. I'm not sure if it's unique to this country but I know that almost everyone here enjoys playing it. Wally is played in an enclosed raquetball court with a volleyball net. The rules are generally the same as volleyball, only 3 hits on each side before it goes over, rotation, serving, etc...all the same. But, the fun extra rule is that it's OK to hit the ball off the walls. If I'm hitting the ball over the net, aiming for the wall of the opposing team can often cause the ball to bounce off and land somewhere where no one is ready to hit it back. It's also good for people like me who aren't particularly gifted in sports and can't always control where the ball is going to go. As long as I hit it, it can bounce off a wall no problem, and someone else can be responsible for getting it over the net. Also, if you can't get to the ball in time with your hands (because it's too low), you are allowed to use your feet to kick it. This is particularly popular in a soccer playing society. I don't like to dive for balls on hard wood floors, so I have successfully and unsuccessfully utilized the kick manouver. We've started getting together every Wednesday night with a few from our small group and other random friends to play Wally. If there are girls on either team, the game stays fairly calm, but when the girls sit out, the game gets pretty competitive. It's a fun time to interact with our Bible study people and meet others as well. Another couple has begun coming, the woman also pregnant. I'm hoping to get to know her better, having pregnancy in common, and would love to see them attending our Bible study as we spend the next month talking about parenting. Two teenagers from a house nearby come every week too and will also pop in off and on to the church on Sundays now. We're hoping to encourage them to become more regular and would like to have their parents over for dinner this week. It's neat to see the different ways God is opening doors for us in the community.

Bribes

There are many things in Bolivia that are controversial for Christians to participate in. One, about 98% of movies for sale are copied versions- they rent them in the video stores, they sell them on the streets. What do we do about this? Two, it is not illegal to copy books, entire books- textbooks, novels, any book you bring in to a photocopy place will copy and bind it for you for a low fee...I must admit that it is really nice when you can't find English books very easily and when your friends have great Christian books you'd love to read or do a group Bible study on and know this is a fast, easy way to do it. But, is it right?? The third, and potentially most tricky problem is cops asking for bribes. We have gotten stopped by cops various times for various things- usually something we didn't know we were doing wrong. Sometimes, the cop will give you a ticket and you have to go somewhere far away and usually hard to get to, or they will ask you to buy them a coke or newspaper instead (bribe!). Scotty and I have talked numerous times about this problem and realize that it's much more difficult and much more expensive to do the right thing, but we want to do it. We were heading into town to see a movie on Friday night- we get about 3 movies worth watching in the theatre each year. On certain days you can not enter a downtown radius if you have a lisence plate that starts with a certain number. We completely forgot about this rule and remembered just as received the whistle and hard tap on our window from the cop standing at the traffic light we were about to pass through. Both of us were instantly annoyed at ourselves for forgetting something that never changes. We pulled over and got the talk from the cop and he told us how much it was going to cost. Then he pulled out his book of tickets that were conveniently (I think he has this book on purpose) out of tickets. "What do you want to do about this?" he asks. This means- "if you give me some money, I'll let you off". We tell him to ask another cop who's wandering around nearby for one of his tickets. He ignores that and shows us again his empty book of tickets- "what can we do about this?". We tell him that either he needs to give us a ticket or let us turn around and drive back out of the restricted area. He bends over to peer in the window and asks me what I think we should do. I tell him the same thing. He nodds that he's going to let us go and then says something about recognizing his good will, a.k.a., paying him for letting us go. Scotty finally tells him that we are Christians and that we don't believe it's right to do that. Before he can even get the whole sentence out, the guy is waving us on to leave. So, we were thankful that he was merciful with us, but it left me thinking about the inevitability of similar things happening again in the future. Sometimes the situation is not so cut and dry, sometimes the cops are not so nice, sometimes you get pulled over for something you know is not wrong because the cop just wants to get some extra money...what do we do?? We are thinking through all these things and wanting to find answers that glorify the Lord and don't compromise our Christian witness. We want to live in a way that is in line with the Holy Spirits direction of our consciences.

Wedding weekend

We had such a fun time this weekend celebrating the union of our good friends Dani and Randy. Friday's festivities started out with an early morning pancake breakfast for the boys where they spent time eating, memorizing scripture, and praying for Randy as he headed into the sacred and exciting journey of matrimony. Friday evening we all gathered at the international church for the wedding rehearsal and then off to La Comunidad, the church our plant came out of, for the civil ceremony. Here, in Bolivia, there are always two big ceremonies. The civil comes before the church wedding and is where you sign papers before a judge and witnesses and your marriage becomes legal as far as the state is concerned. Christians participate in this ceremony but always see the church wedding as the official union and when normal married life begins. This was my first time attending a civil service, it is reserved for the wedding party and closest friends and relatives. There was a speech made by the judge on the importance of the institution of marriage (from a strictly social standpoint) and then there was a special time when Dani and Randy served us the elements of the Lord's supper and Randy's Bolivian pastor spoke on what it means to partake of it. It was a neat time, followed by dinner, and the celebration that Dani was now officially Randy's wife. Saturday morning there was a time of basketball for the boys and then several of Dani's 8 bridesmaids met up with Dani to get our hair and nails done. We enjoyed chatting together at the salon and spending these last few hours with Dani before the big event. It was a blessing to help her get ready and get her dress on and then rush over to the church where the music had already begun and all the rest of the party were waiting for us and Dani. The service was beautiful, in both Spanish and English, with traditional vows and personal ones that the bride and groom had written for each other and said in both languages. There was a beautiful time of worshipping the Lord together at the beginning of the service, giving glory to Him who we live for and who brought these two lives together. After, we enjoyed a fun-filled, late reception with dinner at 11:30pm and dancing still going on when we left at 1:30am! Scotty and I saw some old friends we hadn't seen for a while and some of the guys he used to disciple in the church he attended before we were married. It was a sweet night of celebrating God's goodness.

Baby girls

We've been told by several Bolivian friends lately that here it is considered a blessing to have a girl first. This wasn't backed up by any explanation until yesterday when our lawyer friend told us that a baby girl as the firstborn means you'll have a full house. Although I don't believe in superstition, I would be happy to believe God will bless us with many more children. I'm at that point in the pregnancy when not too much seems to be happening. I'm getting bigger slowly enough that I don't recognize it too much, except for that somewhat disheartening realization that one day not too long ago my khakis fit and now I can't hardly pull them up over my thighs (and since baby doesn't rest in the thighs, that makes me a little bummed). I haven't felt any definitive kicks yet, although there seems to be a bit of squirming that I think is her, or the strange concoction of food I seem to ingest daily... I'm sure all parents have experienced this, but from the moment you get pregnant, you begin to find things to worry about. First it's the fear of miscarriage, than if the baby has a defect, than why it's not kicking yet, etc... I imagine these fears can constantly be replaced by new ones for as long as you have your child with you in life. My goal now is to put these fears before the Lord and learn a new level of trusting in Him and His soverignity. There are many factors about having a baby in Bolivia that could cause me to worry or think that it would be better to go home to have the baby, but I fully believe this is where God has us in this phase of our lives and He will provide what we need to have children here. He has been faithful and good to us and His promises are great.

Little belly

I feel silly putting up belly pics at this stage because I'm still pretty small- but I thought a few of you might be curious. I hit 20 weeks yesterday!

Workshop results

The parenting workshop went really well- we had about 100 people there! Joe and Denise, our guest speakers, have incredibly Biblical, practical, creative methods of parenting that captured everyones attention and challenged us all. From those of us on our way to being parents to those with teenage kids, there was a lot to glean from this wise couple of almost 11 children. It was a bummer that they had to leave all their kids behind in Cochabamba, but they were able to say with honesty to us that they were totally and completely comfortable leaving all the younger ones in the hands of their 17 year old son, knowing no one else would do a better job of taking care of them. They talked of writing goals for your children before they reach the stage of that goal and working toward building your kids from little ones into admirable, respectable, loving children. We definitely want to do that. They talked about how parenting styles change in the different age ranges. They talked about your kids as older teenagers coming to regard you as a peer and coming to you for advice instead of you seeking them out to give it. There was tons of positive feedback from those who attended and we'll be following up with small group discussions for the next 4 weeks. We lead one of these groups, but humbly seek the imput of those who are already experiencing these difficulties and victories in raising children.

On Sunday afternoon, we had the pleasure of eating lunch with Joe and Denise and heard some of their advice for new parents. A lot of it centered on keeping our marriage a priority and healthy even when the baby might have a tendency to suck you dry and be your only focus in life. They encouraged keeping romance alive and getting babysitters so that we can get out on dates. Denise warned me that it can be even easier for the mom to become completely wrapped up in her baby and forget about her husband, and that he still needs love and my time. Joe told us that we would find many moments of utter frustration and exhaustion when all the yucky sin comes to the surface and all we want to do in that moment is take a nap. He said that these moments are the ones that God meant to lead you to the cross in search of forgiveness and sanctification as he uses the baby to reveal the heart and continue the process of cleaning it. I can't imagine any more yuck coming to the surface than what marriage has already brought out in me- I'm sure I'm in for a real eye-opener! What a gift to be surrounded by couples like these who are a few steps ahead in parenting and following the Lord as they do it.

Getting into the swing

Things have been busy since returning to La Paz, as we expected. It's neat how going away from a place for a couple weeks really makes you more aware of what you are thankful for where you live. We're thankful for the nice low prices in Bolivia (even though grocery prices are rising and the dollar is falling); we're thankful for our cats and the daily laughs they bring us; I'm especially thankfor for my large, comfy bed that doesn't make me worry about who all the other people are who have slept there and if the sheets have been changed since then; we're thankful for Bolivian people and how friendly and open they generally are; we're thankful for our church where we are known and loved and missed when we're away; we're thankful for our fellow missionaries who are all working toward the same goal of seeing Bolivians come to know and worship the Lord. Saturday, we were able to return to our small group that has been led by one of the men who attends regularly, and were excited that a new couple came that live nearby. The husband of this couple has been attending church with his two teenage sons, but his wife doesn't seem quite as interested. It was good to see them unafraid to interact and ask questions as we studied the basics of the Christian faith. This weekend we have our first seminar planned and have invited a missionary family from Cochabamba to come and lead our church and those from the international Christian school in learning more about what the Bible has to say about raising children. This guy will be great since he's expecting his 11th child later this year- and they're fantastic kids! We've been seeing more and more people stepping up to take roles in the various activities that are going on and more interest from various people in the community as well. I am truly surprised and humbled by the way God is moving around us and in the church and don't feel worthy of the blessings that have been pouring forth from Him. But, I do remember that this isn't about me, but about His own glory being made known in this community.