Thursday, September 4, 2008
We're home!
Well after a little excitement and some fast running in Miami, we made it to Portland safe and sound. Stay tuned for our final debriefing blog posts from each of the teammates. Thank you again to everyone for their prayer and support. God definitely made himself evident on our trip.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
One Step Closer To Home
Well after one of the sketchiest flights of our lives, we made it safe and sound to Santa Cruz. We are staying the night at a hotel here and then we leave early tomorrow morning for Miami. Please continue to keep our team in prayer and Que Dios Te Bendiga (God Bless You).
Monday, September 1, 2008
We can Breathe Again!
Hey everyone,
Sorry about the lack of blog action for the last few days. We have been busy busy busy. On Sunday morning we left Cochabamba at 5:00 am and took a 4 hr bus trip to Oruro. Cochabamba is roughly at 8,000 ft in elevation, so on this bus ride we increased our elevation by about 4,000ft. Oruro is one of the highest cities in Bolivia, even higher than La Paz. Our team definitely could feel the effects while doing our puppet shows. It was so much harder to hold your hand above your head and move the puppets mouth even if only for three minutes. Oxygen is so necessary!!!
The reason why we made this long journey was so that we could experience what the pastor of the first baptist church in Oruro experiences every Sunday. They have been unable to find a pastor who actually lives in Oruro, and the current pastor´s business is in Cochabamba, so he has to make this grueling commute every Sunday. This church was the first evangelical church in all of Bolivia. It has only been around for 106 yrs. Jhonny, the pastor that we have been working with was once the pastor of this church, and was able to give us a greater understanding of the persecution that the church suffered only 50yrs ago.
Jhonny took us to the cemetery where he showed us the memorial to those who were killed for spreading the gospel of Christ. The Catholic Church convinced its members that the evangelicals were not of God and that they needed to be dealt with. So as a result of this uprising men and women of the city beat ten men and women to death with stones and picks. These Martyrs were not allowed to be buried in the city cemetery because they were not catholic. However years later, as the evangelical movement continued to grow, and the catholic church no longer had a hold upon the city, Jhonny was the one commisioned to bringing these bodies back into the city. It was definitely a moving site to see that only fifty years ago these men gave their lives for the cause of Christ.
After the cemetery, Jhonny took us to the Catholic church of Oruro. He continued to share with us more of the history of the city and how the church took its folklure and turned it into a part of its religion. It was hard to fully understand where the distinction between the church and the cultural mythology stood. Dan said that he even after hearing the story so many times couldn´t fully comprehend it. The church is built on the opening of a silver and tin mine. Jhonny also used to work in the mine.
He gave us a tour of the mine and continued to explain to us how the god of the mine, which they called el tio, was taken by the catholic church and turned into el diablo. However the confusing part was that el tio or these el diablos were not necessarily good or bad. As the legend goes it was the mighty female angel, who saved the city from harm, that controlled these diablos. The diablos would bless or curse the workers of the mine. The Catholic church branded the angel as Mary. To them they are one in the same. So every year the city has a huge parade festival to celebrate the protection of this angel. The parade circles the entire city and ends in front of the catholic church in hopes of drawing people in.
This trip was filled with so much historical information and interesting beliefs that I think it left us all with a lot to ponder.
Dan made a couple of points that really stood out to me. He shared a quote with us in response to the martyrs, and I don´t remember it exactly, but the gist of it was this-- a hero doesn´t come from dying for Christ, but rather living for him. For to die is gain, to be with Christ forever, but to live here on earth under persecution is our true calling. For the Truth of Christ is the only thing that under persection and through the death of its leaders it continues to grow more and more. This was clearly evident in the city of Oruro and in all of Bolivia.
As we head home tomorrow please be praying for safe travels. We have been told that there is bad weather, possibly a hurricane in or near Florida. So please please please pray for the continued safety of our team as well as for our ability to process all that God has been teaching us through out this trip. Thanks again for all your support!
-Emily
Sorry about the lack of blog action for the last few days. We have been busy busy busy. On Sunday morning we left Cochabamba at 5:00 am and took a 4 hr bus trip to Oruro. Cochabamba is roughly at 8,000 ft in elevation, so on this bus ride we increased our elevation by about 4,000ft. Oruro is one of the highest cities in Bolivia, even higher than La Paz. Our team definitely could feel the effects while doing our puppet shows. It was so much harder to hold your hand above your head and move the puppets mouth even if only for three minutes. Oxygen is so necessary!!!
The reason why we made this long journey was so that we could experience what the pastor of the first baptist church in Oruro experiences every Sunday. They have been unable to find a pastor who actually lives in Oruro, and the current pastor´s business is in Cochabamba, so he has to make this grueling commute every Sunday. This church was the first evangelical church in all of Bolivia. It has only been around for 106 yrs. Jhonny, the pastor that we have been working with was once the pastor of this church, and was able to give us a greater understanding of the persecution that the church suffered only 50yrs ago.
Jhonny took us to the cemetery where he showed us the memorial to those who were killed for spreading the gospel of Christ. The Catholic Church convinced its members that the evangelicals were not of God and that they needed to be dealt with. So as a result of this uprising men and women of the city beat ten men and women to death with stones and picks. These Martyrs were not allowed to be buried in the city cemetery because they were not catholic. However years later, as the evangelical movement continued to grow, and the catholic church no longer had a hold upon the city, Jhonny was the one commisioned to bringing these bodies back into the city. It was definitely a moving site to see that only fifty years ago these men gave their lives for the cause of Christ.
After the cemetery, Jhonny took us to the Catholic church of Oruro. He continued to share with us more of the history of the city and how the church took its folklure and turned it into a part of its religion. It was hard to fully understand where the distinction between the church and the cultural mythology stood. Dan said that he even after hearing the story so many times couldn´t fully comprehend it. The church is built on the opening of a silver and tin mine. Jhonny also used to work in the mine.
He gave us a tour of the mine and continued to explain to us how the god of the mine, which they called el tio, was taken by the catholic church and turned into el diablo. However the confusing part was that el tio or these el diablos were not necessarily good or bad. As the legend goes it was the mighty female angel, who saved the city from harm, that controlled these diablos. The diablos would bless or curse the workers of the mine. The Catholic church branded the angel as Mary. To them they are one in the same. So every year the city has a huge parade festival to celebrate the protection of this angel. The parade circles the entire city and ends in front of the catholic church in hopes of drawing people in.
This trip was filled with so much historical information and interesting beliefs that I think it left us all with a lot to ponder.
Dan made a couple of points that really stood out to me. He shared a quote with us in response to the martyrs, and I don´t remember it exactly, but the gist of it was this-- a hero doesn´t come from dying for Christ, but rather living for him. For to die is gain, to be with Christ forever, but to live here on earth under persecution is our true calling. For the Truth of Christ is the only thing that under persection and through the death of its leaders it continues to grow more and more. This was clearly evident in the city of Oruro and in all of Bolivia.
As we head home tomorrow please be praying for safe travels. We have been told that there is bad weather, possibly a hurricane in or near Florida. So please please please pray for the continued safety of our team as well as for our ability to process all that God has been teaching us through out this trip. Thanks again for all your support!
-Emily
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Puppets, Painting and Preparation
Yesterday was our last work day with the churches. We successfully ran our VBS program at two different churches. We were with nearly 600 kids in total. VBS consisted of our puppets that explained the Gospel, songs, and games. To further remind the kids of the Gospel (Las buenas nuevas), we taught them the wordless book, using colored beads. It's an amazing sound to hear hundreds of kids answering my questions about what each color meant. They would chant: "La creacion, el pecado de todos, la sangre de Jesus Cristo, un corazon limpio, and el cielo" (Creation, Sin of man, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, a new and clean heart, and Heaven).
The kids loved the VBS and we just love hanging out with the kids after. It's truly a blessing to see the team in action. Something within us just seems to light up when kids are around.
The second half of our time with the local churches are work days. We spent ours days painting. We painted most of the kids' classrooms and the last project was a church's sanctuary. The men of the team painted their place of worship, while the women spent the day with Daryl, Dan's wife. Their missionary care allowed them to minister to a very hard working wife and mother of three children. In the midst, they were also able to glimpse into the life of a missionary's wife, which was an exprience for all.
Our evenings have been spent primarily doing puppet workshops, something I'm most fond of. Dan explained to me the Crusade that they are working on here in Bolivia. Our workshops are an effort to promote and educate local churches of a city-wide youth outreach program that will take place throughout the country in October. The Crusade began 10 months ago, attempting to align churches under a single event. The City-wide outreach week will be the catalyst that will inspire inter-church cooperation for years to come. It is such an honor to be a part of something this huge in magnitude. Our puppets and stage have become the model for these churches to add-on and adapt, so that they can further contextualize the Gospel. They'll be able to make the stage for a fraction of cost. Also, they'll be able to adapt the script into Quechua and Armara, two native languages that we've also been working around.
All in all, the Puppets, Painting and Preparation have ran like clockworks, thanks to God's will and guidance. I would also like to thank you all for your love and support on our mission. Please pray for energy and health, as we have worked hard this last week. My prayer is for our team to continue to image Christ in everything we do...oh, and GO DUCKS!!!
Adam, representing the Team.
The kids loved the VBS and we just love hanging out with the kids after. It's truly a blessing to see the team in action. Something within us just seems to light up when kids are around.
The second half of our time with the local churches are work days. We spent ours days painting. We painted most of the kids' classrooms and the last project was a church's sanctuary. The men of the team painted their place of worship, while the women spent the day with Daryl, Dan's wife. Their missionary care allowed them to minister to a very hard working wife and mother of three children. In the midst, they were also able to glimpse into the life of a missionary's wife, which was an exprience for all.
Our evenings have been spent primarily doing puppet workshops, something I'm most fond of. Dan explained to me the Crusade that they are working on here in Bolivia. Our workshops are an effort to promote and educate local churches of a city-wide youth outreach program that will take place throughout the country in October. The Crusade began 10 months ago, attempting to align churches under a single event. The City-wide outreach week will be the catalyst that will inspire inter-church cooperation for years to come. It is such an honor to be a part of something this huge in magnitude. Our puppets and stage have become the model for these churches to add-on and adapt, so that they can further contextualize the Gospel. They'll be able to make the stage for a fraction of cost. Also, they'll be able to adapt the script into Quechua and Armara, two native languages that we've also been working around.
All in all, the Puppets, Painting and Preparation have ran like clockworks, thanks to God's will and guidance. I would also like to thank you all for your love and support on our mission. Please pray for energy and health, as we have worked hard this last week. My prayer is for our team to continue to image Christ in everything we do...oh, and GO DUCKS!!!
Adam, representing the Team.
My Compassion Child, Daniel
Hey, this is Bethany. I had the opportunity to travel to La Paz and meet my compassion child. IT WAS THE GREATEST DAY! I started sponsoring him when I found out I was going on this trip. Compassion and Daniel Collins were so great in organizing everything for my trip.
I flew to La Paz Wednesday night at 11:30 and met Daniel Collins' friend Maria at the airport. She took me to her house and we stayed the night there. Thursday morning we got a taxi, which was terrifying, and we went down to the Plaza where I met up with a woman from Daniel's project. We then took a van about 15 miles north of the city, and then took another van about 10 more miles north to a town called El Alto. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on at this point.
We then got out of the taxi and started walking toward his project, which is a church called Monte de Sion. I opened up the gate and there were over 400 children and all of the staff at the project waiting for me. They all said in English, "Welcome to Bolivia, Bethany." They made me a sign that said, "Wellcome to Bolivia, Dear Bethany." It was such a humbling moment. They welcomed me and sang me a song in Spanish. They then asked me to raise the Bolivian flag while they sang their national anthem. That was a huge honor.
The pastor of the church then read a scripture out of Luke 18, and prayed for me. Then, they presented Daniel to me. I got down on my knees and he literally ran into my arms and gave me a huge hug! Everyone in the project cheered. It was so incredible. He is so cute.
We then went into Daniel's classroom and I met his teacher, Noami, and all of his classmates. We had snack and colored a picture together. They gave me really nice gifts. His teacher told me that she loves Americans. She loves what they do for the people in Bolivia, and for children all over the world through Compassion. She was literally in tears saying thank you for what we do in America. I was in tears saying, "Thank you" for what she does in El Alto, Bolivia.
Daniel wanted me to go play soccer with him. So, me and about 20 5-7 year old boys were out on the cement, at 12,000ft in about 50 degree weather playing soccer for 20 minutes. That was so fun. They got really excited whenever I scored a goal!
After we left his project I was taken to Daniel's house to meet his mother and three sisters. Daniel had the letters I had sent him and the pictures of me in his photo album. I took so many pictures yesterday, but I don't have a way to upload them. When I get home, I will put them on the website.
From Daniel's house we went into La Paz and I bought him a kid's meal at Burger King, which he had never had before. It was great!
I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped me to come on this trip. Thank you to all the middle schoolers and their parents who allowed them to be a part of this trip. It was the most amazing experience, and you have all touched 100's of lives here in Bolivia. I will tell you all about in person and show you lots of pictures when I get home.
Please, please, please, please pray for the children in Monte de Sion. They are doing amazing things there and I am very honored to be a part of such a great project and such great people. Please pray for Daniel, his mother, his three sisters, and his father. They are amazing people. I miss you all very much! Thanks again for everything! May God Bless you in ways you never dreamed, much like He has done for me.
I flew to La Paz Wednesday night at 11:30 and met Daniel Collins' friend Maria at the airport. She took me to her house and we stayed the night there. Thursday morning we got a taxi, which was terrifying, and we went down to the Plaza where I met up with a woman from Daniel's project. We then took a van about 15 miles north of the city, and then took another van about 10 more miles north to a town called El Alto. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on at this point.
We then got out of the taxi and started walking toward his project, which is a church called Monte de Sion. I opened up the gate and there were over 400 children and all of the staff at the project waiting for me. They all said in English, "Welcome to Bolivia, Bethany." They made me a sign that said, "Wellcome to Bolivia, Dear Bethany." It was such a humbling moment. They welcomed me and sang me a song in Spanish. They then asked me to raise the Bolivian flag while they sang their national anthem. That was a huge honor.
The pastor of the church then read a scripture out of Luke 18, and prayed for me. Then, they presented Daniel to me. I got down on my knees and he literally ran into my arms and gave me a huge hug! Everyone in the project cheered. It was so incredible. He is so cute.
We then went into Daniel's classroom and I met his teacher, Noami, and all of his classmates. We had snack and colored a picture together. They gave me really nice gifts. His teacher told me that she loves Americans. She loves what they do for the people in Bolivia, and for children all over the world through Compassion. She was literally in tears saying thank you for what we do in America. I was in tears saying, "Thank you" for what she does in El Alto, Bolivia.
Daniel wanted me to go play soccer with him. So, me and about 20 5-7 year old boys were out on the cement, at 12,000ft in about 50 degree weather playing soccer for 20 minutes. That was so fun. They got really excited whenever I scored a goal!
After we left his project I was taken to Daniel's house to meet his mother and three sisters. Daniel had the letters I had sent him and the pictures of me in his photo album. I took so many pictures yesterday, but I don't have a way to upload them. When I get home, I will put them on the website.
From Daniel's house we went into La Paz and I bought him a kid's meal at Burger King, which he had never had before. It was great!
I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped me to come on this trip. Thank you to all the middle schoolers and their parents who allowed them to be a part of this trip. It was the most amazing experience, and you have all touched 100's of lives here in Bolivia. I will tell you all about in person and show you lots of pictures when I get home.
Please, please, please, please pray for the children in Monte de Sion. They are doing amazing things there and I am very honored to be a part of such a great project and such great people. Please pray for Daniel, his mother, his three sisters, and his father. They are amazing people. I miss you all very much! Thanks again for everything! May God Bless you in ways you never dreamed, much like He has done for me.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
A Humbling Experience
Greetings from Bolivia!
I wanted to share with you all an awesome experience I had yesterday. After I found out I would be going to Bolivia this summer I decided to sponsor a child from Bolivia through Compassion International (this is the child advocacy ministry we have been working with here). When a child is financially sponsored, the money is used for things like school supplies, medical care, and they have the opportunity to attend a Compassion project site where they get help with school and learn about the gospel. Also, sponsors and the children can converse through letter writing. Yesterday I had the priviledge of going to my sponsored child's Compassion project site to meet him!
When I arrived at the site Gualberto and his mother were waiting for me. I knew it was him when I walked in because I have his picture. He and his mother were extremely quiet. I gave Gualberto a soccer ball that I bought here in Bolivia and he just looked at me but didn't say a word. There was an English speaker there to translate for me which was helpful. Even though I speak some Spanish, I was glad to have him there. Gualberto's mother speaks Quechua which is a native language in Bolivia. They gave me a tour of his Compassion site which is also a church. I went in to every classroom to say hello to all of the kids. Each room I entered I was greeted with a "buenos dias hermana" in unison from the children.
After getting a tour of the site we walked to Gualberto's house. I tried to ask him some questions as we walked but he was so shy! I would catch him looking at me but once I looked at him he would quickly turn away. His mother didn't say much either. His home was extremely small. It was sort of an open concrete structure with only two very small rooms for 5 people. It was extremely humbling. When we entered the home Gualberto's mother stated, "we don't have much." Gualberto showed me the first letter I ever sent him. It included a picture of me. It was overwhelming for me to actually see him and his family and his home. When I signed up to sponsor him, I understood that he didn't have much and that I could help, but actually seeing it has really inpacted me. I spoke to a woman at the Compassion site who told me to write to Gualberto as much as I can. She also said to tell others who sponsor a child to write often. When letters come, the kids get very excited. Some children don't receive letters and it is very disapointing. After this experience I am motivated to write him more often and pray hard for him and his family. Maybe he will be more talkative in his letters than he was in person!
I have been to 3 different Compassion sites here in Bolivia. It has been wonderful to see the faces of these children and to meet the staff members who work at the sites. They have such big hearts. God is working in and through them and this ministry. And to think that there are sites like this all over the world! Praise God!
I wanted to share with you all an awesome experience I had yesterday. After I found out I would be going to Bolivia this summer I decided to sponsor a child from Bolivia through Compassion International (this is the child advocacy ministry we have been working with here). When a child is financially sponsored, the money is used for things like school supplies, medical care, and they have the opportunity to attend a Compassion project site where they get help with school and learn about the gospel. Also, sponsors and the children can converse through letter writing. Yesterday I had the priviledge of going to my sponsored child's Compassion project site to meet him!
When I arrived at the site Gualberto and his mother were waiting for me. I knew it was him when I walked in because I have his picture. He and his mother were extremely quiet. I gave Gualberto a soccer ball that I bought here in Bolivia and he just looked at me but didn't say a word. There was an English speaker there to translate for me which was helpful. Even though I speak some Spanish, I was glad to have him there. Gualberto's mother speaks Quechua which is a native language in Bolivia. They gave me a tour of his Compassion site which is also a church. I went in to every classroom to say hello to all of the kids. Each room I entered I was greeted with a "buenos dias hermana" in unison from the children.
After getting a tour of the site we walked to Gualberto's house. I tried to ask him some questions as we walked but he was so shy! I would catch him looking at me but once I looked at him he would quickly turn away. His mother didn't say much either. His home was extremely small. It was sort of an open concrete structure with only two very small rooms for 5 people. It was extremely humbling. When we entered the home Gualberto's mother stated, "we don't have much." Gualberto showed me the first letter I ever sent him. It included a picture of me. It was overwhelming for me to actually see him and his family and his home. When I signed up to sponsor him, I understood that he didn't have much and that I could help, but actually seeing it has really inpacted me. I spoke to a woman at the Compassion site who told me to write to Gualberto as much as I can. She also said to tell others who sponsor a child to write often. When letters come, the kids get very excited. Some children don't receive letters and it is very disapointing. After this experience I am motivated to write him more often and pray hard for him and his family. Maybe he will be more talkative in his letters than he was in person!
I have been to 3 different Compassion sites here in Bolivia. It has been wonderful to see the faces of these children and to meet the staff members who work at the sites. They have such big hearts. God is working in and through them and this ministry. And to think that there are sites like this all over the world! Praise God!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
August 25 & 26
We have spent the last two days here in Cochabamba at the Luz De Cristo the church we were in on Sunday morning. On Monday we ran two session of puppets, songs, games and crafts back to back- The children were so responsive and interacted with every one on the team. Bethany taught ´Dum, Dum Dotta´ to the kids and Emily led ´Simone Dice´ or ´Simon Says´. Great to see both kids and adults laugh at themselves, us and others as we rocketed through these interactive games. The team went on with assisting in making wordless braclets which communicate the gospel message in colors, after that we had the kids color and were amazed at their artistry.
In the late afternoon Adam, Greg and Joe led, with the rest of us, a training for pùppetry. Dan commented on how good we were considering what he saw and where everyone has to start to make these characters believable in their movements and lip-sinc. It is not as easy as it looks for sure. We also showed them how the stage was contructed so that each ministry could copy or modify the design for their own use. Our plan is to leave both puppets and stage for them when we leave next week.
Our team has been well cared for at the Ubb Center. Our cook keeps us full to over flowing and the facility is great. Our Bolivian host, Pastor Jhonny has been a terrific part of our team in every way, it has been a priveledge to get to know him and the other pastors of the area. They are held in very high regard here along with great responsibility!
Monday night Adam and Emily went and played Wallyball (no spelling error here) with the local Compassion rep, Daniel Guiterez. They had such a good time that they plan to play again this week. We teased Daniel as Emily came back with blood all over her shirt from a bloody nose sustained as they learned the new game (basically volleyball played in a racketball court with the walls considered part of play). Most of the rest of the team went for ice cream off the main square.
Tuesday we returned to the same church to help paìnt classrooms. The paint was being mixed and hand colored in the courtyard at the front of the church as we arrived. Each class had been able to choose their own color. Each church is alotted so much paint and their seems to be a contest to see how far they can stretch it! Watered down to get the most square meters as possible, seems strange to most of us who started painting as if one to two coats would do it and found ourselves at 4 coats most of the time. Splatter was the decoration we all wore for the most part. We finished 3 rooms total and a good part of the 4th as well. Luis, Josefina, Pastors Eddy and Freddy assisted us and added to the fun. Even the new believer Miguel that we saw baptized on Sunday morning was their painting. Each Bolivian leader seemed to have a plan, however communicating it was interesting to say the least.
Each day the church provides the same lunch that Compassion provides for each child and we bring our own table service and drinks. We have been told that the easiest way to avoid getting sick is avoiding things that cannot be pealed or sticking to things that have been cooked. Also, with our own clean table service we avoid another point of possible contamination. They treated us with cold Coca Cola for which Colin was extremely thankful! He has not had any of the nectar since leaving the states but has remained calm and level headed. He can quit any time (Or so he says).
The end of Tuesday afternoon a few of us once again taught a puppetry session again to local church and compassion leaders. Average height here is significantly smaller than in the states so stage heights can sometimes be a challenge. Each participant has a great attitude and we are told that this kind of ministry is really affective here and easily duplicated in the area. One lady brought a puppet she had made that looked professionally crafted and definitely more culturally relivant.
Towards evening the pastors presented us with gifts and their thanks for what we have accomplished over the last 3 days here. They were looking ahead to what the ministry we have provided might be multiplied in the future. They also had a cake in honor of Trimmie´s birthday as well as one of the pastor´s daughter. This evening some went to a Christian folk concert while others joined Emily and Adam with Daniel Guiterez again at Wallyball.
Our times of team worship, devotion and prayer are the part of the day that keeps us grounded as we face full days and new experiences. We also share our ´strikes and gutters´or highs and lows for each day. God has obviously blessed us all with each team member as we relate to one another. We been especially graced with many Spanish speakers and people who love children.
Colin, for the Team
In the late afternoon Adam, Greg and Joe led, with the rest of us, a training for pùppetry. Dan commented on how good we were considering what he saw and where everyone has to start to make these characters believable in their movements and lip-sinc. It is not as easy as it looks for sure. We also showed them how the stage was contructed so that each ministry could copy or modify the design for their own use. Our plan is to leave both puppets and stage for them when we leave next week.
Our team has been well cared for at the Ubb Center. Our cook keeps us full to over flowing and the facility is great. Our Bolivian host, Pastor Jhonny has been a terrific part of our team in every way, it has been a priveledge to get to know him and the other pastors of the area. They are held in very high regard here along with great responsibility!
Monday night Adam and Emily went and played Wallyball (no spelling error here) with the local Compassion rep, Daniel Guiterez. They had such a good time that they plan to play again this week. We teased Daniel as Emily came back with blood all over her shirt from a bloody nose sustained as they learned the new game (basically volleyball played in a racketball court with the walls considered part of play). Most of the rest of the team went for ice cream off the main square.
Tuesday we returned to the same church to help paìnt classrooms. The paint was being mixed and hand colored in the courtyard at the front of the church as we arrived. Each class had been able to choose their own color. Each church is alotted so much paint and their seems to be a contest to see how far they can stretch it! Watered down to get the most square meters as possible, seems strange to most of us who started painting as if one to two coats would do it and found ourselves at 4 coats most of the time. Splatter was the decoration we all wore for the most part. We finished 3 rooms total and a good part of the 4th as well. Luis, Josefina, Pastors Eddy and Freddy assisted us and added to the fun. Even the new believer Miguel that we saw baptized on Sunday morning was their painting. Each Bolivian leader seemed to have a plan, however communicating it was interesting to say the least.
Each day the church provides the same lunch that Compassion provides for each child and we bring our own table service and drinks. We have been told that the easiest way to avoid getting sick is avoiding things that cannot be pealed or sticking to things that have been cooked. Also, with our own clean table service we avoid another point of possible contamination. They treated us with cold Coca Cola for which Colin was extremely thankful! He has not had any of the nectar since leaving the states but has remained calm and level headed. He can quit any time (Or so he says).
The end of Tuesday afternoon a few of us once again taught a puppetry session again to local church and compassion leaders. Average height here is significantly smaller than in the states so stage heights can sometimes be a challenge. Each participant has a great attitude and we are told that this kind of ministry is really affective here and easily duplicated in the area. One lady brought a puppet she had made that looked professionally crafted and definitely more culturally relivant.
Towards evening the pastors presented us with gifts and their thanks for what we have accomplished over the last 3 days here. They were looking ahead to what the ministry we have provided might be multiplied in the future. They also had a cake in honor of Trimmie´s birthday as well as one of the pastor´s daughter. This evening some went to a Christian folk concert while others joined Emily and Adam with Daniel Guiterez again at Wallyball.
Our times of team worship, devotion and prayer are the part of the day that keeps us grounded as we face full days and new experiences. We also share our ´strikes and gutters´or highs and lows for each day. God has obviously blessed us all with each team member as we relate to one another. We been especially graced with many Spanish speakers and people who love children.
Colin, for the Team
Monday, August 25, 2008
day 4?
I cant keep track of what day it is since we got off of the plane, but yesterday was an amazing adventure. In the morning we went to Jhonny's church and we sang in front of the church and performed one of the puppet programs. Getting to hear all of the children laugh and repeat the verses is a wonderful experience. God is working with these muppets! And he is working in us.
later in the day we went to a bolivian restaraunt and had some amazing food then went to a futball game at the local stadium. We were all routing for Jhonny's favorite team, San Jose, yet sadly they lost. A fight broke out and luckily noone on either team was hurt.
My favorite part of the day had to be when we went to the Quechua church in the outskirts of town to do the puppet skits. We were invited to lead some worship and do the muppet show as well, then we lugged the stage downstairs with an army of children flowing around us smiling and laughing. We got into this tiny room where the stage barely fit and proceded to do every single program that we have for them, and the kids loved it. The whole night was just a great adventure and taste of God's love for the whole world.
Please continue to be praying for our success down here in Bolivia. As we still have much work to do and a few of us are under the weather. Dios te Bendiga.
-greg
later in the day we went to a bolivian restaraunt and had some amazing food then went to a futball game at the local stadium. We were all routing for Jhonny's favorite team, San Jose, yet sadly they lost. A fight broke out and luckily noone on either team was hurt.
My favorite part of the day had to be when we went to the Quechua church in the outskirts of town to do the puppet skits. We were invited to lead some worship and do the muppet show as well, then we lugged the stage downstairs with an army of children flowing around us smiling and laughing. We got into this tiny room where the stage barely fit and proceded to do every single program that we have for them, and the kids loved it. The whole night was just a great adventure and taste of God's love for the whole world.
Please continue to be praying for our success down here in Bolivia. As we still have much work to do and a few of us are under the weather. Dios te Bendiga.
-greg
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Some Pictures from Sunday
Adam with a true La Paz indigino
The team at a soccer game. San Jose is playing (Jhonny's team)
The team out to dinner with the Collins and Jhonny's family, just before the futbol game.
Dios Te Bendiga
Hey Everyone,
So day 4 already! The lst couple of days have been so awesome and I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us here.
Last night we went to a city wide young adult service on one of the poorest sides of Cochabamba. We worshiped in spanish but we knew almost all the songs. And let me tell you, You Are Good in spanish is SO COOL! They even had Emily and Bethany come up on stage and sing Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord with them in English while they sang in spanish. It was great because it was worship our language did not matter, we were just prasing God together. One of the best parts was that along with the worship band they had a group of girls that danced with tambourines. It was so amazing because there dance wasn't distracting like so many American dances are but it was just worship and it was a part of thier worship, and it was beautiful.
As a welcome to our team they had us all come to the front and we all recived alpca earflap hats that have llamas on them. It was so humbling because they were really honored to have us there and they wanted to show us that. Then most of them proceeded to come up and greet with benvonitos and kisses(well one kiss on the right cheek)
The rest of the service was great a little hard to understand...it was all in spanish. Pastor Eddie spoke on Gods purpose in our lives, and gave a killer altar call at the end. It was funny because I wondered how I would feel about the entire service in spanish, what can i say my spanish from high school is a bit rusty. But it was really powerful, the presence of God was there and in what Pastor Eddie was saying. Yeah i didn't understand every word but God still spoke to me even through that language barrier. God is so amazing in that way!!!
On Monday we are going back to do a puppet training session for some of the students. They have a big evagilisim event in October and they are using the puppet that we brought. So we did a demonstration in the service. It was pretty funny because this puppet show is ment for little kids and we were performing for high school and college age people. But they laughed, repeated the verses the puppets quoted and really enjoyed it. I was so relived.
So got to head out we are on our way to Church in a few minutes and I'm still in my pjs. But today will be fun we have two church services, one in spanish and one in cechoen( totally misspelled that) And this afternoon we are going to a futbol game...go San Jose!!!!!!!
Thanks for all the prayers... keep them coming!!!
Grace and Peace,
Kaliyah
So day 4 already! The lst couple of days have been so awesome and I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us here.
Last night we went to a city wide young adult service on one of the poorest sides of Cochabamba. We worshiped in spanish but we knew almost all the songs. And let me tell you, You Are Good in spanish is SO COOL! They even had Emily and Bethany come up on stage and sing Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord with them in English while they sang in spanish. It was great because it was worship our language did not matter, we were just prasing God together. One of the best parts was that along with the worship band they had a group of girls that danced with tambourines. It was so amazing because there dance wasn't distracting like so many American dances are but it was just worship and it was a part of thier worship, and it was beautiful.
As a welcome to our team they had us all come to the front and we all recived alpca earflap hats that have llamas on them. It was so humbling because they were really honored to have us there and they wanted to show us that. Then most of them proceeded to come up and greet with benvonitos and kisses(well one kiss on the right cheek)
The rest of the service was great a little hard to understand...it was all in spanish. Pastor Eddie spoke on Gods purpose in our lives, and gave a killer altar call at the end. It was funny because I wondered how I would feel about the entire service in spanish, what can i say my spanish from high school is a bit rusty. But it was really powerful, the presence of God was there and in what Pastor Eddie was saying. Yeah i didn't understand every word but God still spoke to me even through that language barrier. God is so amazing in that way!!!
On Monday we are going back to do a puppet training session for some of the students. They have a big evagilisim event in October and they are using the puppet that we brought. So we did a demonstration in the service. It was pretty funny because this puppet show is ment for little kids and we were performing for high school and college age people. But they laughed, repeated the verses the puppets quoted and really enjoyed it. I was so relived.
So got to head out we are on our way to Church in a few minutes and I'm still in my pjs. But today will be fun we have two church services, one in spanish and one in cechoen( totally misspelled that) And this afternoon we are going to a futbol game...go San Jose!!!!!!!
Thanks for all the prayers... keep them coming!!!
Grace and Peace,
Kaliyah
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Day 2...man the food is good!
Hola de Bethany en Cochabamba, Bolivia!
Well, it is now our second day on the soil of South America. It has been so incredible! We are staying at this amazing place called Union Bautista Boliviana. We all have our own beds, nice warm showers, and the food is amazing. I have never eaten so well, or eaten so much.
Last night Dan, Darryl, and their three kids all came to the Baptist Center and had dinner with us. We also gave them a little preview of our puppet show. The kids really liked it. We also gave the kids each a lunch box filled with candy from the United States. They were really excited! Most of us went to bed around 8:30 last night. That is 5:30pm back home. It was so nice. We got up and had a morning devotional with some worship and had a great breakfast.
This morning Dan and Darryl gave our team some expectations and guidelines for our trip. We also met the director for the Compassion projects in the Cochabamba area, and he gave us a quick run down of what will happen at the different sights. Everyone here is so friendly. It has been really fun to practice some of the Spanish that we know.
Dan and Darryl then walked with us around downtown Cochabamba and showed us where a bank was located, and a really good coffee shop. We then stopped at an ice cream shop called, Globos and had the most incredible sundaes.
We have a little down time and then we are heading to the South side of Cochabamba, which is the poorest part of town. There we are going to meet college students and show them our puppet show and hopefully help them learn how to do it. It is going to be a great experience to see how and where people our age live in different parts of the world.
This morning, during our devotional, we read out of Romans 12:1-8. Those verses were great for us to hear at this point of our trip. The scriptures reference to the different spiritual gifts that people have. It was great to be reminded that each person on our team has a specific gift that God has given them, and that we can be excited to get to use each one of those in a special and unique way.
So far no one has gotten sick, and we would love to keep it that way. Please keep praying for the safety of our team. We will be doing some shopping, going to a futbol game, and hiking a 1,000ft butte. So we will definitely be needing your prayer. Thank you so much to all of you who have supported us in so many ways. You are truly a blessing to us, and by extension we can hopefully be a blessing to the people here. Thank you for helping to make a difference for the people living in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Blessings,
Bethany Jennings
Friday, August 22, 2008
We've Arrived!!!
Four plain flights and seven cities later and we are finally here in Cochabamba Bolivia. It is a great feeling to be in a state of recooperation from the many hours of travel, but to also be extactic of all the exciting adventures to come. I can barely contain my joy when as I share with you how evident God has been in the logistics of this trip already and we have only just arrived. His provision was evident in that the day before we left Eugene, due to the falling American dollar and some unexpected expenses we found ourselves $400 short of what we would need. With a lot of prayer and only one phone call I was blown away to hear that before that day was even done we were once again fully finacially covered.
As we headed out of Portland our flight that was supposed to be leaving at seven am was delayed by two hours. This was great news in the fact that it provided more sleep time, but an issue in the fact that Bethany, who had no knowledge of the change was meeting us at the airport. She didn't have her cell phone with her, so we had know way of finding her or telling her that we would be arriving two hours later. What could have been a problematic situation was easilly solved by paging Bethany and in a matter of minutes finding her walking towards our group. Though she was extremely exhausted and I think a littl emotionally frazzled, God definitely kept our team together from then on out.
After finding Bethany we feared the potential of losing another team member. Out of the eight group members all but Trimmie had acquired the necessary visa, required to enter Bolivia. As the airline attendant took the passports from Adam she checked all of them with a fine toothed comb verifying that all of us had our required visas. All of them that is except for the final passport, Trimmie's passport.
If the fact that the one passport that didn't have a visa was the only one that didn't get checked is not enough of a blessing from God, we also were able to check 11 bags for 7 people without paying a single dime. The new rule is that the first bag is free and the second one costs $25. That is $100 that we didn't have to spend.
The best part of all this was we hadn't even left Oregon and already God's merciful hand was already being blatently revealed to us all!
On our flight to Chicago we all adjusted without any problems, all of us that is except for Darcy. Darcy, probably one of the sweetest girls I know was quickly repremanded by the flight attendent. The attendent in the rudest way possibly told Darcy to get off her cell phone and that the whole plane was waiting on her. All of us shocked to hear such a harsh repremand found it even more comical when Darcy was again repremanded by the same flight attendent for having her bag not fully under the seat in front of her, both before the plane had even left the terminal. Our team of course proceeded to give Darcy a hard time informing her that she had "two strikes", three strikes and she was out! The joking lasted the entire flight and Greg actually recieved a strike from the attendant for using the first class bathroom and then getting stuck behind the food cart.
The next transition, which due to the two hour delay was going to involve a very quick sprint across the Chicago airport, was once again saved by a delay in flights. The plane that we were supposed to take to Miami was broken and we were told that they might have to bring in a whole new plane. This would most likely make us miss our connection in Miami, so it was once again time to bring it to the Lord. After some prayer the plane was up and running again and we were off to Miami with little delay.
Due to the "issues" we had with Darcy on the previous flight I thought it only fair to warn the flight attendents on the plane to Miami. After a quick chat with who we would later find to be one of the funniest guys we would meet on our travels, the flight attendent named Franklin, aka Bob, had his sights set on giving Darcy a hard time.
Before taking off "Bob" came up to Darcy and said " I just heard from the flight attendents on your previous flight that you are a trouble maker...just remember my Kung-Fu is better than yours." Our whole team burst into laughter, and from that point on anytime "Bob" would walk by he would say something hilarious to keep Darcy "out of trouble." By the end of the flight when we thought he could get any funnier, he surpassed all of our expectations.
Just after landing as we were approaching the terminal "Bob" came over the loud speaker telling the entire plane that they needed to know of the celebrity we had on our flight. He told the plane the Darcy Gadach had just broken a world record for annoying flight attendent from Oregon to Florida. We could hardly breathe we were laughing so hard. He also wished our team well on our trip and had the plane applaud us for our efforts to come in Bolivia.
God not only blessed us with safe travels, but he also blessed us with great memories and lots of laughter. We met up with Dan and Johnny (one of the pastors at the church compound we are staying in) upon arrival to Santa Cruz and they traveled with from there to Cochabamba. Another praise was that we had absolutely no trouble getting Trimmie his visa upon arrival and the even crazier thing was that we discovered that all our visas are good for five years. We payed $100 for ours and Trimmie had to pay $135, while Dan informed us that his cost about $1000. Who knows if any of us will get a chance to use them again after this trip, but the cool thing is that God continues to provide.
Our Journal verses for this travel day were John 15:1-16. We know we can't do anything without Him and as was clearly revealed to us on this trip as we abide in Him our Joy will become full.
As we headed out of Portland our flight that was supposed to be leaving at seven am was delayed by two hours. This was great news in the fact that it provided more sleep time, but an issue in the fact that Bethany, who had no knowledge of the change was meeting us at the airport. She didn't have her cell phone with her, so we had know way of finding her or telling her that we would be arriving two hours later. What could have been a problematic situation was easilly solved by paging Bethany and in a matter of minutes finding her walking towards our group. Though she was extremely exhausted and I think a littl emotionally frazzled, God definitely kept our team together from then on out.
After finding Bethany we feared the potential of losing another team member. Out of the eight group members all but Trimmie had acquired the necessary visa, required to enter Bolivia. As the airline attendant took the passports from Adam she checked all of them with a fine toothed comb verifying that all of us had our required visas. All of them that is except for the final passport, Trimmie's passport.
If the fact that the one passport that didn't have a visa was the only one that didn't get checked is not enough of a blessing from God, we also were able to check 11 bags for 7 people without paying a single dime. The new rule is that the first bag is free and the second one costs $25. That is $100 that we didn't have to spend.The best part of all this was we hadn't even left Oregon and already God's merciful hand was already being blatently revealed to us all!
On our flight to Chicago we all adjusted without any problems, all of us that is except for Darcy. Darcy, probably one of the sweetest girls I know was quickly repremanded by the flight attendent. The attendent in the rudest way possibly told Darcy to get off her cell phone and that the whole plane was waiting on her. All of us shocked to hear such a harsh repremand found it even more comical when Darcy was again repremanded by the same flight attendent for having her bag not fully under the seat in front of her, both before the plane had even left the terminal. Our team of course proceeded to give Darcy a hard time informing her that she had "two strikes", three strikes and she was out! The joking lasted the entire flight and Greg actually recieved a strike from the attendant for using the first class bathroom and then getting stuck behind the food cart.
The next transition, which due to the two hour delay was going to involve a very quick sprint across the Chicago airport, was once again saved by a delay in flights. The plane that we were supposed to take to Miami was broken and we were told that they might have to bring in a whole new plane. This would most likely make us miss our connection in Miami, so it was once again time to bring it to the Lord. After some prayer the plane was up and running again and we were off to Miami with little delay.
Due to the "issues" we had with Darcy on the previous flight I thought it only fair to warn the flight attendents on the plane to Miami. After a quick chat with who we would later find to be one of the funniest guys we would meet on our travels, the flight attendent named Franklin, aka Bob, had his sights set on giving Darcy a hard time.
Before taking off "Bob" came up to Darcy and said " I just heard from the flight attendents on your previous flight that you are a trouble maker...just remember my Kung-Fu is better than yours." Our whole team burst into laughter, and from that point on anytime "Bob" would walk by he would say something hilarious to keep Darcy "out of trouble." By the end of the flight when we thought he could get any funnier, he surpassed all of our expectations.
Just after landing as we were approaching the terminal "Bob" came over the loud speaker telling the entire plane that they needed to know of the celebrity we had on our flight. He told the plane the Darcy Gadach had just broken a world record for annoying flight attendent from Oregon to Florida. We could hardly breathe we were laughing so hard. He also wished our team well on our trip and had the plane applaud us for our efforts to come in Bolivia.
God not only blessed us with safe travels, but he also blessed us with great memories and lots of laughter. We met up with Dan and Johnny (one of the pastors at the church compound we are staying in) upon arrival to Santa Cruz and they traveled with from there to Cochabamba. Another praise was that we had absolutely no trouble getting Trimmie his visa upon arrival and the even crazier thing was that we discovered that all our visas are good for five years. We payed $100 for ours and Trimmie had to pay $135, while Dan informed us that his cost about $1000. Who knows if any of us will get a chance to use them again after this trip, but the cool thing is that God continues to provide.
Our Journal verses for this travel day were John 15:1-16. We know we can't do anything without Him and as was clearly revealed to us on this trip as we abide in Him our Joy will become full.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Final Preparations
So we are all ready to get some sleep before heading to the airport, but the anticipation is keeping us up and last minute worries about all the luggage that needs to be huffed over to the tarmac is building up on our minds. Nothing too exciting has happened so far (other then a garrage puppet show, and lots of goofing around) but we can't wait to get on the plane and be on our way to serving the Lord in Bolivia. Please be praying for us to have a safe trip, health for those of us getting over sicknesses or just starting to get one, and that nothing happens to our luggage as we have lots of it. . . . And on a different subject, personally I can't wait to see the stars in Bolivia. We'll check back soon once we have touched down in Bolivia. God Bless.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Update: Finances
After a little anxiety about finances, God has made himself apparent once again. Our $400 deficit is longer...I would still ask for continued prayer for finances and for God to further make himself known through His provision. Thank you all for your commitments to the team in prayer and support!
Departure Information
The team will be flying out of the Portland Airport, August 21st, Thursday morning at 7am. We'll be together Wednesday night in Portland, finalizing the details of the trip. We won't be arriving in Cochabamba, Bolivia until the next morning around 9am. That'll be about 26 hours of traveling straight! Please keep us in your prayers, that flights will be timely, bags will go where they should, and for travel arrangements to go as planned. We're nearly on our way!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Prayer Request: Finances
Due to the increased costs of the entry visas, airfare home, an overnight stay in Santa Cruz, an exit fee and the declining US dollar, we're heading to Bolivia financially tight... We need another $500 for the team. If not, Dan (Our missionary) joked with the idea of fasting for a few days to make up for the difference...Please pray for that not to be necessary. Our prayer is for God's continued blessing on this team and mission.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
THANK YOU
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS!
BECAUSE OF YOU, WE'RE ABLE TO GO TO BOLIVIA
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR TEAM
THAT WE MAY DO GOD'S WILL.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Financial update
Things are moving along nicely, financially. We are a few thousand dollars away from our goal. Woohoo!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Greetings
Bienvenidos (Welcome) to friends, families, and Bolivia advocates!
We just wanted to thank you for your prayer and support as we continue to prepare for our trip to Bolivia this August. We're excited to see what God will do in and through us, and through you as you join us in whatever capacity.
Gracias por todos.
We just wanted to thank you for your prayer and support as we continue to prepare for our trip to Bolivia this August. We're excited to see what God will do in and through us, and through you as you join us in whatever capacity.
Gracias por todos.
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