June 29th 2008

Even though I went to bed kind of late last night, I still woke up well before my alarm went off this morning. So I just lay in bed, dozing on and off, until my alarm went off at nine. I then got ready to go to church and went downstairs to have breakfast. For breakfast I had a piece of bread and a glass of water. After breakfast, I continued to get ready to go church and then headed out to church. I made it to church in plenty of time, but there were problems with the technology today so church did not start very smoothly. However, church was good even though I was not apart of the praise and worship team today. We continued our study in Romans and talked about peace and reconciliation within the context of the first eleven verses of chapter five. During the prayers, the person who prayed for peace and justice recited the Prayer of Saint Francis of Assi which I thought was interesting to hear in Spanish because I say this prayer in English almost every morning. Another interesting point is while the technology did not work I was able to sing one song from memory. During the peace today a lot more people came to share the peace with me even though they did not know me. At church we were reminded that in July we would be meeting at the church office for Sunday morning service. After church I was able to give Meg her CD back. Also, I talked with Larry and let him know about the option Tom had offered me on Thursday for the team that is coming in this Thursday. I also needed to give Larry the phone stuff for his records. After helping to clean up and pack up the music equipment, Meg invited me to go with them for lunch. So I went back to Bob’s and Meg’s house for lunch, but when we got to their car, Bob realized he did not have enough small change to pay the boys so I offered my money to get back home for him to use. While waiting for lunch, Bob and I had a wonderful conversation about different Christian topics and I think Bob gave me some words that I needed to hear. For lunch I had a chicken sandwich with lettuce and mayonnaise along with tortilla chips. Then for dessert I had some apple and a chocolate chip cookie. When lunch was over I talked with Bob some more about Spanish this time. Then I had a good conversation with Bob and Meg about praying in Spanish which is good because I have less than a week until I do my Bible study on the Second Commandment. Since Bob is still not feeling well, Meg called me a taxi to bring me back home. Since, I did not have money Bob gave me money for the taxi ride home. However, getting home was interesting because the taxi driver did not know the place where I wanted to go, so I had to give him directions. The taxi driver was very pleasant though even though I had to explain the address multiple times. Before leaving Meg gave me some chocolates for myself and the boys that I am living with. As soon as I returned home, I decided that I would relax the rest of the afternoon and do some things I have meaning to do, but have not had the chance to do. Before dinner I did my evening devotion. For dinner I had this thing that was like a very small stromboli with ham and cheese in it. It was good. After dinner I shared the chocolates that Meg had given me with everyone. That was also good and then I spent some time talking with Susana, Quique, and Lucas. The time spent with them was really good because I noticed that I was able to communicate with them, express myself, and ask questions to get information I wanted. Also, while talking with Susana and her family she said that I was welcome to spend time with her family in her room and watch the television when I wanted. This made me feel really good and something I needed to help me continue to focus on how God is blessing me here in Cochabamba. The rest of the evening I decided to continue to relax. I went to bed early tonight because I have work at Casa de Nazeret tomorrow along with a soccer game to help with. Before I went to bed, I did my night time devotion and showered.

June 28th 2008

It felt good to be able to sleep in today. I slept in until my alarm when off at nine and then got up to have breakfast. I had a glass of water and a piece of bread for breakfast. After breakfast, I came back to my room to do my morning devotion and then went back to bed for awhile. While in bed, I took time to reflex on my experience here in Bolivia so far. In reflecting, God helped me to realize some misconceptions that I have had and what I would like to share with people when I return home. The main misconception that I was given my many people is the fact that since I am only going to be in Cochabamba for a short period of time so I will not have an impact here. Well, it is only with God’s grace, but I feel that I have had an impact here. I have helped set up connections for other interns and missionaries that might come down to Bolivia as a part of SAMS. Also, another impact that has not been felt yet is the retreat that is coming up in about three weeks. Even though, I have signed up to help with the spiritual aspect of this retreat, my advice as been asked to contribute to all aspects of this retreat. In addition, my advice has been asked for the retreat that will happen in December for all of Bolivia that will be like a Happening. Then working at the boy’s home, I think that even though I have only been there a week that I have really given the boys guidance and confidence to continue in their schooling. When it comes to what I would like to share, I realized that it is a little different for each of the groups that I have in mind to share with. Basically, one idea is to forget having an agenda where times and a schedule is important because that is nonexistent. Another importance is to be able to take time for yourself. It was very hard for me to find time for me to take time for myself in the United States with my constantly on the go schedule. Also, I have come to realize how important it is to spend a significant amount of time with God each day. In doing my devotions everyday, I have felt my relationship with God grow stronger. This mission experience has also been a learning experience for everyone involved. I have learned from other missionaries and I think that I have learned from myself has well. When I felt God leading me to do this mission, I was a little hesitant about it because I was not given much information about what I would be doing. There is also some expectations that I do not think have been met and there has been a lot of confusion. This has shown me how important it is to work with a team and to makes sure that communication is clear. With all these events that have occurred to me that has made this experience somewhat difficult; it is my hope that people that come after me will have an easier time. I know that God has some purpose for me being a guinea pig in this experience. After taking most of the morning to reflect, I then got ready for my day, uploaded some photos, and used the internet until lunch. Before lunch I was able to do my noon time devotional. For lunch I had chicken with rice and potatoes along with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Today, I had the opportunity to have lunch with almost all of Susana’s family and their concern was if I was getting enough to eat. They kept asking me if I wanted more food and I kept declining. It was a little bit awkward. At lunch I was also informed that Adelina would be gone until Tuesday because there is a party in her town because someone is getting married. After lunch, I took the rest of the afternoon to work on my Bible study for next week. It was then time for me to head out to youth group. On the way to catching a taxi I ran into some people from the language school who were going to visit Lucas. For some reason tonight, it took me forever to get a taxi. Even one taxi driver drove off after talking with me because he wanted fifteen and I would only give him ten. When I finally got to youth group, I played ping pong with Omar and Winney. We then opened up in prayer and we went around the circle to say different prayers Omar started it and it ended with me. That means that I prayed aloud for the second time; my prayer was short, but it went much better than the first time. Next, we sang some songs of praise to God. After getting drinks and a snack of potato chips, it was time for our movie nights. We watched the movie Giants of the Earth. It was a football story in which the coach taught the player values of the Bible while coaching them. With prayer the coach was able to win the state championship and also have a child which was not possible before. Then we ended our time in prayer and then had a meeting about the upcoming retreat coming up. It was decided to meet on Tuesday in the afternoon to discuss the retreat and begin working on a drama we want to present to the congregation. While making the decision when to meet the group made sure that I could make the meeting and others even asked me if I was coming on the retreat with them. They were elated when they found out I would be going on the retreat with them. Upon returning home from youth group, I did my evening devotion, showered, and went to bed.

June 27th 2008

It was another day in which I had the feeling of wanting to sleep in and not get out of bed. However, I did get up a little after my alarm went off to go downstairs and have breakfast. For breakfast I had two glasses of water and a piece of bread. When I returned upstairs from breakfast, I got ready for my day. Next, I did my morning devotion and said an extra prayer fro Larry and Betty that their visa process would all be worked out today. Since I did everything kind of quickly this morning, I had some time to relax before going to the boy’s home. On my way to the boy’s home I remember that I had planned a meeting with Paula at ten this morning to combine our ideas for the retreat coming up in July. So I got of the bus early to go to the church office to meet Paula and waited twenty minutes, like Father Walter did last night, and then figured she was not coming so I went to the boy’s home. In my opinion, I arrived twenty minutes late, but the people and the boy’s home did not care because that is the way their culture is. When I arrived and put my stuff away, I was immediately surrounded by the boys who wanted me to help them with their homework. I was able to help several of the boys solve word problems and long addition problems during the math segment. Then during free time I watched cartoons with the boys again. Then the schedule was a little different today because while waiting for lunch the boys did their chores. While doing their chores, one of the boys who I have built a relationship with asked me if I would sit with him at lunch so I accepted. For lunch I had fried liver with rice, beets, and radishes. Then after lunch the boys then finished their and chores. The idea after their chores was to go play soccer again, but since the cook was not coming in tomorrow; the boys had to do the Saturday cleaning of the house in which they waxed the floors and gave the house a really good cleaning. Since the cleaning took so long to do; there was no time to play soccer because the boys had plans to go to another missionary’s house for pizza and a movie. I was invited to this, but I decided to have the rest of the afternoon to myself and also I wanted to work on the Bible study I am presenting next Saturday. So after the cleaning, I headed home and learned today when is a good time to travel in public transportation when it is not so crowded. While the boys were cleaning another missionary fixed his shoe with the glue that is sniffed. It was the same smell as I smelled yesterday when walking passed that guy, do it was confirmed that I had my first encounter with a person that sniffs glue. When I returned to the house Lucas was outside with his grandfather so I talked and played with Lucas for awhile. Then I tried to check email, but the internet was not working so well. I decided that I would relax the rest of the afternoon until dinner and then after dinner I would work on my Bible study. For dinner I had llama in a gravy with peas, carrots, and onions, along with pasta and a potato. When dinner was over I came back to my room with the intention of working on my Bible study, but instead I decided to relax the rest of the night. I plan on working on it tomorrow before youth group since I have plenty of time. Before going to bed, I showered and did my night time devotional.

June 26th 2008

Even though I felt very tired after yesterday, I still woke up well before my alarm went off. However, I stated in bed until my alarm went off. Then I got up and went downstairs to have my cup of water and piece of bread for breakfast. Next, I decided to get ready for my day assuming that the day would be normal and this event of everything shutting down will not occur. Before leaving to go to Casa de Nazeret, I did my morning devotion. I prayed that today would be much better than yesterday and that God would encourage me in some way today. I arrived very early at the home and decided to wait awhile before I went in. However, the cook came out to go shopping and asked me why I did not ring the bell and I told her that I was really earlier, but she welcomed me in anyway. This morning I watched cartoons with the boys until it was time to do their homework. Today was not a good day for homework; all the boy’s were focused on their sticker collection they have from eating chocolates. So there was not much accomplished during the period of math. During the free time, I talked with the boys about the soccer game that was happening today that involved Russia and Spain. The next homework period went a little bit better with reading comprehension. I checked the boy’s answers and helped them when I could. Then while we were waiting for lunch, I noticed that some of the same boys who I helped them with their homework continued to talk with me. Also, as I walked in the room to eat my lunch with the boys, I felt like a celebrity because all the boys asked me to come sit with them. For lunch I had some lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, with a piece of cheese, a hardboiled egg, and a potato all covered in a peanut sauce. My comment for this meal is that it was very different and quite an experience. After lunch and the boys did their chores, I went out and played soccer with them. They were all very good, but I think I impressed them by scoring three goals. While playing soccer, I had my first encounter with a person who was doing drugs. One time when I went by him to throw the ball in I smelled the glue that is popular to sniff here. Another time when I went by him, I saw him light something and then smell marijuana. Finally, before we left I looked over at him one more time and he looked so zoned out while smoking a cigarette. I was tired after playing soccer with them so when I returned to the home, I decided to watch the soccer game between Russia and Spain. I was cheering for Spain because I have been there and they won three to nothing. During my time of rest, the boys received a snack of this fruit called pickuyo. It is like a banana in looks, but is fuzzy like a peach on the inside with seeds. This snack was also quite an experience and I was told to try it because it is a very Bolivian snack. Also, I stayed to have dinner with the boys as well since the church office is only about three blocks away from the home. While waiting for dinner, I had a good talk with Tom, the maintenance guy, about cultural shock I have experienced and my hopes for the future. For dinner I had a half of piece of bread and this soup that had rice, spinach, and some other vegetables. After dinner I left to go to the church office for the class about the church. However, tonight no one showed up and so I headed home earlier then planned. When I returned to the house, I checked and answered some emails. Then I prepared for the meeting I will be having about the retreat tomorrow. Also, today was the first day that I realized I was able to Speak in English and then go right back to speaking Spanish without any problems. Another realization that I had as well is the fact that my Spanish is starting to flow and is not as difficult for me to translate and then say what I need to. A lot of times I feel like speaking Spanish has become second nature to me and I do not have to think as much as I used to when trying to communicate. Even though it was kind of early, I decided to shower, do my evening devotional, and go to bed.

June 25th 2008

Today for the first time in a long time, I remember not wanting to get out of bed as my alarm went off. After finally getting out of bed, I went downstairs to have a cup of water and a piece of bread for breakfast. Then I came back to my bed to do my morning devotional. I then got ready for my day and left to go to the language school for the cultural education class. Today I learned more about how the people have incorporated pagan idols and worship into the Christian religion. It was very good information to me to learn about. After the class, I paid the rest of my bill for the language school and then headed off to Larry’s for my weekly meeting. Larry told me to take the “F” bus to get to his apartment. However, when I flagged down the “F” bus it was very full, but I got on anyways. When I arrived at Larry’s I went to check what time it was and then realized that I had been picked-pocketed on the bus. My cell phone was stolen and when I got to Larry’s I reported it right away. Then Larry and I had a good meeting to discuss the cultural shock I have been experiencing. Also, Larry pointed out to me that I have having trouble with some things because I have the “student syndrome.” I am used to everyone telling me what is required and have not had to initiate many things myself. During my meeting I also was able to discuss my schedule with Larry and kind of have an idea now of what I might be possibly doing in July. When my meeting with Larry was over, he showed me the powerpoint slides of the songs that the church does and then sent them to me in an email so I can share them with people when I return home. For I lunch Betty made this French toast stuffed with jam and cream cheese with almonds on top. Also, there was ham, cooked bananas, and mandarin bread. After lunch Larry and I went to purchase a new cell phone and then I met Bob and Meg at a supermarket and went back to their house. When I arrived at Bob and Meg’s home, Bob who had not been feeling well said that he felt worse and so he asked for prayer. He then went to bed and Meg and I talked for awhile about this event that might happen tomorrow where everything is shut down for the day before Paula came to the house. Then Paula and I talked for awhile about working and the retreat that was coming up. It was then time for dinner; I had two eggs over easy with toast. Then Meg, Paula, and I went to worship practice. Tonight’s worship practice went very well. I think I have a grasp on a lot more of the songs and I feel that my relationship with Omar has gotten better after tonight. Omar seemed to be friendlier towards me tonight and really joked around with me which I really enjoyed. During worship Meg said that she would like the songs with the chords and I said that I did as well. So hopefully I will somehow get a copy or CD of all the songs to share with people when I return home. After worship practice, I went back to Meg’s home and got a taxi back to the house. When I returned to the house, I put a CD that Meg had let me borrow that had some of the songs that the church does in Spanish that were familiar to me. Also, I realized that the lesson I learned at the cultural class today really played out in my life today. The lesson was that the devil has ways of trickery to get us down. There was the incident of my cell phone being stolen and then the incident with Bob as well. These events are interesting to me because I was just starting to feel comfortable and that God was really staring to work His plan for me here in Cochabamba. Now, I think I have kind of retreated back to my old self of being worried about different things every time I need to go somewhere. Also, I feel worn out and kind of hope that everything is closed tomorrow so that I can have a day of rest and relaxation. I do not know if I can wait for Saturday for that. After my reflection time, I did my night time devotional, showered, and went to bed. In my night time devotion, I prayed that tomorrow would be a much better day than today.

June 24th 2008

This morning I woke up a couple minutes before my alarm went off at eight. Next, I began to get ready for my day and went downstairs to have my cup of water and piece of bread for breakfast. After breakfast, I continued to get ready for my day and then did my morning devotion. I remembered to say an extra prayer for Lucas because he is half way done his time in the cast and only has three more weeks left. Then I left to go to the boy’s home for my second day at Casa de Nazerett. I arrived about fifteen minuets early even though I had to wait quite a while to catch a bus there. When I arrived all the boys were watching a program on animal planet and they wanted me to join them, so I did. After watching the program it was time for homework. Today instead of staying at one table for homework I wandered around to help as many boys as I could. During the free time, I talked with Tom who is basically the maintenance guy at the boy’s home, but he wanted to know if I felt like I fit in at the home. I said that I felt like I did fit in and then we discussed some of the differences between Bolivia and America. We also discussed the some of the boys because of their soccer game yesterday. Tom also told me that he thought that I spoke Spanish very well and I should have more confidence in myself. It was then time for another homework period in which I checked the boy’s answers to different reading comprehension questions. While waiting for lunch, I watched part of the movie of All Dogs go to Heaven in Spanish with the boys. For lunch I had this mixture of ground beef and hot dogs with rice, onions, tomatoes, and radishes. The boys were more talkative with me today and it surprises me that all of the boys remember my name and always greet me by it. Even today I noticed that the boys love the sense of touch by the boys holding my hand, wanting hugs, and wanting to sit on my lap. Also, the boys who were nine and under had another soccer game today and they invited me to the game again. So I went to the game today with the boys and the only difference between the game today and yesterday was the fact that no goals were scored today. However, the boys played really well like yesterday. Before the game, David who I worked with yesterday and I had met before; asked me to go buy a snack for the boys for after the game. He then told me where there was a shop and gave me the money, so I went to get the snack. At the shop, I had a wonderful experience. I told the lady who owned the shop what I was looking for and then she showed me everything she had. She was very nice and this was the first shopping experience I enjoyed because I made small talk before making the purchase. I think today that I started making connections with the boys and I think that they like me. After the soccer game, I left to go back to my house from the game and the boys were sad to see me go, but I told them I would see them Thursday. As soon as I returned to the house, I relaxed for a little while and then did my evening devotion before dinner. While waiting for dinner, I received a phone call from Larry to check-in to see how my week was going so far. I also was able to help Quique by fixing a cell phone that he had borrowed from his older brother Luigi and had dropped it. For dinner I had chicken in a peas and carrots gravy with rice and a potato. When dinner was over I left to meet my Bridger Juan and to see more of the city of Cochabamba. However, I missed one call on my cell phone and was running late. As it turns out, I arrived twenty minuets late and Juan did not show up. When I tried to call him my cell phone did not work and then I tried to call other people as well and for some reason it did not work. So when I returned to the house after my adventure I relaxed for a little while and then did my night time devotional, showered and went to bed.

June 23rd 2008

I had to wake up early today because today was my first day at the children’s home. After getting up, I got ready for my day and had a piece of bread and a cup of tea for breakfast. Before leaving I did my morning devotional. It surprised me because all the public transportation was early so I arrived at the children’s home early as well. When I arrived I watched some of the boys draw pictures of animals out of a book. It was then time for the first period of homework in which I helped some boys to do division problems and addition problems. I enjoyed this period because I am good at math and it was easy for me to pick up the phrases to use when asking questions about the numbers. Also, some of the math problems were on a page in which after getting an answer they had to color that area in a certain color, but the colors were in English so they asked me to translate the colors for them. The next period was some free time in which the children had a snack of fruit and milk or yogurt. It was then time for another period of homework in which today they worked on reading comprehension. I assisted them by having an answer key and checking to make sure their answers were correct. Next, was another period of free time in which I watched some of the children play this game with marbles it was very interesting. The whole time I was with the children I was able to understand them and be able to respond to all of them when they talked with me. It felt great to be able to communicate and have fun with these children. During the second break I was formally introduced to Walter who is the guy in charge of saying whether or not people can volunteer. He said that I was allowed to volunteer there and that I was welcome. So I will be going there Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and some Fridays. At the children’s home I was also able to have lunch with the children as well which was good because I found out that some of them would be playing in a soccer game today. During lunch they invited me to come and watch their game so I accepted. For lunch I had this mixture of rice, potatoes, and beef with some broccoli. Before I left for the game, I asked what time I should come back tomorrow and they told me ten so I can sleep until my normal time. So in the afternoon I went to watch them play soccer and the ride on the buses was a good time for me to continue to talk with the children. Also, the children at the home were so kind and always wanting to talk with me or have me sit with them. I also realized that these children were very happy with little and that they love the sense of touch. Some of the boys hugged me today or if they wanted to talk with me they would hold my hand or touch me to get my attention. The two soccer games were amazing there are two teams one of twelve and under and then one of nine and under. Both teams won today the twelve and under team won five to four and then the nine and under team won eight to one. All the boys were so happy after the game and tried to get the guy who I met before at Susana’s named David who is their coach to buy them chocolate on Friday. At the game a guy came up to me because he heard that I knew English and wanted to practice his English a little bit. He worked in mechanics and had to learn some English for his job. This man was very nice and was interested in what I was doing in Bolivia. It surprised me during the conversation that he asked me what I wanted to do for a career and after I told him; I was in for a surprise. He told me that he worshiped Patchamamma which is mother earth, but that he wanted to learn more about the Bible. So he asked me what church I went to and I told him, and he said that he would visit it one Sunday. My conversation with this man was in part Spanish and part English as well. After the games I headed back to the boy’s home but got off early to catch a truffi back to the house. It took me a good while to find a truffi that was not packed full. I finally returned back home in time to do my evening devotional and relax for a while. For dinner I had a sandwich with a hotdog, ketchup, and mayonnaise on it. It was good and tonight there was also fruit punch to drink which was very sweet since I have tried to stay away from sugar. During dinner Susana came down and sat with me and we had a good discussion all in Spanish about technology and how important it is for people to learn responsibility. After dinner I basically heard fireworks going off the rest of the night because it is in celebration of Saint John. I went out and lit and watched the fireworks with Susana’s and Angelica’s family. It felt like the fourth of July for me since there will be no celebration on that day here in Bolivia. Before going to be I showered and did my night time devotional.

June 22nd 2008

Everyday it amazes me what I could possibly woken up by. This morning I was awoken by the marching band practicing for a competition in August. After I got up, I got ready to go to church and then went downstairs for breakfast. However, there was no bread this morning so I drank a glass of water and left for church. I left earlier than normal for church to help set up and to warm up my fingers for playing the songs. While I was getting ready I realized that I was not and that I did not feel ill after the hamburger last night and I was thankful to God for this blessing. As I arrived at church today I was met by Father Walter and assisted him with getting his car into the place where we worship by opening and closing the gate for him. Then when I reached the place that we worship I saw that everything was already set up; the only thing that needed to be set up was the music equipment. Next, Omar arrived and gave me the disappointing news that there was no space in his car for my guitar which I knew was a lie, but I accepted it anyway. I then help set up the music equipment even though I would not be part of the praise band this Sunday either. Today I felt so hurt that I wanted to cry because I have about two months left and I feel like I brought my guitar for no reason. All I could think about during the service was how I could get my guitar to church since the past two weeks have been disappointments. The service was even rough for me because all I could think about is I can not wait to go home because nothing seems to be working out. My schedule does not exist and things that I was supposed to be apart of I do not feel welcome to. Otherwise, I did enjoy the service and our continued study in Romans. Deacon Tammy did a wonderful job of explaining the example of the faith of Abraham given in chapter four of Romans. Also, there were two events that made me feel good. One was the fact that some of the youth from the youth group that meets on Fridays made sure that they passed the peace with me. The second event was the fact that a person who I just met on Friday remembered my name and greeted me. I helped clean up by stacking the chairs and carrying out musical equipment when church was over. It was good, however; that some other missionaries named Bob and Meg invited me to have lunch with them. One the way to the restaurant, it was good to have conversation with some people about getting adjusted to the difference here in Bolivia. At the restaurant, we had a wonderful conversation about how I have picked up phrases that are commonly used or if words are similar to English words that I am able to understand and keep the conversation going. Omar and Natta also were invited to lunch as well. When they arrived Omar said that he had been meaning to ask me if I knew Alethea and said of course I did and that she was one of my good friends. During lunch I was able to try some Bolivian lemonade which tasted very tart compared to the lemonade in the United States. Also, I tried some fruit juice called tumbo which was good. I had nice piece of steak and potatoes for lunch along with a salad as well. Towards the end of lunch I received a phone call from Larry saying he was going to see this church that the team he is working with might work at. Since, I was still at the restaurant; I could not join him on this journey. Larry then said that he would check back in with me later today to see how things were going. After getting off the phone, Omar and Natta teased me about if the call was from a girl. I told them no, but that I wished that it was and it was the first time I can remember since I have been here that I have really made people laugh. This laughter was a success for me and the whole lunch conversation was good for me to practice my Spanish. After lunch Bob and Meg gave me a ride home and since Bob is a student of Susana; he asked me if I would see if she was home and would not mind visitors. Of course, Susana did not mind visitors so we spent some time with Lucas since after this Tuesday he will have three more weeks in the cast and then will have to have some rehab to walk again. I think that it made Lucas’ and Susana’s day to have visitors and then to pray for Lucas as well. By the time I returned to the house and after the time I had with Lucas it was late in the afternoon so I relaxed until dinner. While relaxing I decided to check email and use the internet for awhile. Before dinner I was able to do my evening devotion. For dinner I had pizza with different types of vegetables. After dinner I continued to relax the rest of the night since I will have my first day of work at the boy’s home tomorrow. Before I went to bed, I used the internet again, showered, and did my night time devotional.

June 21st 2008

It was nice today because I had the opportunity to sleep in a little bit and there was no screaming children or barking dogs in the early morning. I got up at nine with my alarm and headed downstairs for breakfast. I had the usual piece of bread and a glass of water for breakfast. After breakfast I did my morning devotion and then just lay in bed relaxing. While I was relaxing, I realized how grateful I am to have time for God here. In the United States, I had to make time for God and my only time that I communicated with Him was at night before bed. I think that I am getting used to a slower paced life because this time of rest does not seem so bad anymore. Then I uploaded some pictures and realized that I have only taken two pictures this week. It is my hope to be able to take more pictures of my activities and places that I travel to, but I am nervous that my camera might get stolen so I am careful when taking pictures. When I felt that I could no longer lay in bed, I got up and got ready for my day. Also, I took some time to organize my room with the informational papers I have for a variety of things that I have learned in Cochabamba. Another point that I thought about is how I can get the goal sheet that was faxed on Monday to Eastern, but they did not receive it. However, it was a relief to read in the same email that I read late last night that I did not have to worry about the paper work. This hard for me because I am a person who always tries to turn things in on time and works hard to get good grades. The email also said that he had been keeping track of me and knows that I am working here in Bolivia by my blog. It is real encouragement to know that people are reading my blog. With the idea of the blog on my mind I decided to then upload my photos to the internet. I also made it my priority to do my noonday devotional before lunch. Today for lunch I had chicken in a mushroom gravy, along with a potato salad that had peas, carrots, and beans like lima beans except bigger, and little bit of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. During lunch Quique came down and said that his stomach was not feeling good so he had to drink this medicine that was terrible. So I told him to hold his nose so he did not smell it and then it would not taste so bad. His reaction afterwards was incredible; he was extremely elated that it did not taste as bad as he remembered from last time. Then while relaxing after lunch, I was called by Susana and she told me that I should partake in the whole lunch. This means that I had the opportunity to try for the first time since I have been in Bolivia, ice cream. I think it was a mixture of vanilla and strawberry, but it tasted like cake batter ice cream with strawberries. For the rest of the afternoon I rested until youth group. Before I left for youth group, I made sure I did my evening devotion. I arrived at youth group and started helping make a cake to sell tomorrow for the retreat we will be going on in July. While making the cake I had the opportunity to talk with several of people and also played multiple games of Uno with the group. We began in prayer with petitions of the group. Then we had a time of worship with songs. Next, we looked at the first commandment in the Ten Commandments about having no other gods. It was very interesting to hear other people perspectives and whose culture has other gods that they openly worship. To end our time together we also prayed. I then talked with Omar about him bringing my guitar to church for me and what the lesson will be when I lead the youth group. Omar told me that he wanted me to get more familiar with the songs before I play with the group and that there was no space in the amplifier for my guitar. I told him that I did not need to be amplified; I would be happy just to be apart of the band. Then Omar said that he would bring my guitar, but I am not sure if he said that to be nice or if he was serious. After youth group we all went out to get something to eat. Where we went to eat kind of scared me a bit, but I said an extra special prayer in hopes that I do not get sick from the food. I had my first hamburger and it was different than in the United States. I made two observations tonight during youth group. The first one was that the youth seemed to be touched by the songs tonight and started to get involved with them by dancing or moving around. Number two is the fact during prayer there was an inexplicable feeling and I could understand almost all their prayers. Their prayers were sincere and flowed; it was truly a beautiful experience to have. When I returned to the house after youth group, I did my night time devotion, showered, and went to bed.

June 20th 2008

As I started to wake up this morning I thought that I would hear my alarm go off, but it did not instead I heard the children of the house banging on a pot. It was soon after that, that my alarm did go off so I got up. Then I headed down to the kitchen for my breakfast of a piece of bread which is like a roll and a glass of water. After breakfast I returned to my room upstairs and began my morning devotion. However, my morning devotion went longer than normal because I have a lot on my mind about the rest of my time here, so my mind wandered as I was praying for different things and for different people. I allowed my mind to continue to wander after my morning devotion because I have noticed that when I allow myself to think about things that God reveals to me answers to my prayers and possible plans for my future. Right now I feel that God is telling me that I will get to experience work at the boy’s home for the next two weeks because it fits into my schedule now because the children have a break from school. The following week I feel that God could be telling me that I will be working with the team that is coming if they still are coming. Then, after that week, there will be the retreat which will be most of the week. Following that I am not sure what God’s plan is that He has in store for me. It has been very different not having a set schedule and not knowing what the next step is on my journey in this world. While resting, I also realized the fact that in the United States I never I had the opportunity to rest like this; I was always on the go. I had classes and a part-time job during the week and worked on Saturdays as well. Then on Sundays I would go to church have lunch and then headed off for another church service and then youth group. So it seems strange to move at a different pace and not always be on the go. Another idea that I have is that mission trips are meant for teams and not individuals because when I am with people or doing something; I am fine. However, when I am by myself the times can be very lonely. Also, one of the best things I did to prepare for this trip is to only drink water and eat bland foods about three months before coming to Bolivia. Because I have had only minimal problems adjusting to the food and I think that because I would exercise regularly that only when going up steps I feel the altitude. When my reflecting time was over, I took the rest of the morning to work on the retreat that is coming up. I was able to create both of the activities that I need to and now all I have to do is to get some help translating them into Spanish. At noon I did my noon day devotion and then had lunch. For lunch I had chicken along with pasta and vegetables and a potato. Upon returning to my room after lunch, I sent an email to get feedback on what I have planned and the activities of the retreat. I decided that I needed to do some more work on my Spanish and also to think about the different foods that I have eaten here. There was only a little bit of time before I had to leave for youth group since it is earlier tonight, so I decided to relax until then. I then headed off to youth group and got a much better deal tonight of only going for five Bolivianos instead of ten for last week. When I arrived there was only one other person there so we watched soccer on the television for a while. The youth group began in prayer and then again I had a chance to lead the game. I explained the whole game of “come over the mountain” and only part had to be clarified which I felt great about. I noticed tonight I was not nervous when explaining the game so I think I did a better job of explaining and was clearer. The group even enjoyed this game as well because when the Parker’s said it was time to end it they said that they did not want to. We then looked at the first two commandments of not having other gods or idols. In looking at the Ten Commandments, we went around in a circle and had to read some verses and tonight I was grateful that I could pronounce every word and not make a mistake. We also ended the youth group in prayer as well. Tonight at youth group, I observed the fact that the boys are at the stage where they do not like girls because only one girl arrived tonight and all the guys were upset when she did. This incident made me laugh a little bit because their reaction was like some of the youth I have worked with in the United States. After youth group I went with the group to play soccer. It was a lot of fun playing soccer with these youth and I think it help me make a little more of a connection with them. At youth group I met another youth from the church named Marcelo and he was very nice talked with me which was good to help me continue to practice with my Spanish. Also, I talked with another young lady named Anna who I had met at Shawnee’s house because she takes care of Shawnee’s house. As soon as the soccer game was over I took a taxi with some other people from the youth group back home and still only paid five Bolivianos which I thought was a good deal. When I arrived back at the house, Adelina told me and showed me that the kitten had gotten up on the roof of the house and could not get down. So my height came to my advantage tonight and I was able to get the kitten to a point where I could reach it and get it off the roof. While getting the kitten off the roof, unfortunately I broke a pottery bell and I felt bad and apologized. However, Adelina told me not to worry about it and then asked me if I wanted dinner. For dinner I had this tomato soup with noodles and like a pot roast type of meat. After dinner I did my evening devotion and then relaxed the rest of the evening because I did not have any work that I could think of to do. When it was really dark out, I decided to do my night time devotion, shower, and go to bed.

June 19th 2008

Even though went to bed late last night, I still woke up before my alarm went off at eight. Then I went down and had a piece of bread and a cup of water for breakfast. Next, I knew I had to begin to get ready for my do so I did and then I did my morning devotion. During my morning devotion this morning I noticed that I almost have the Lord’s Prayer memorized in Spanish I only missed one word. After my morning devotion I went out to wait for Larry to go to the children’s home. Larry was here before I knew it and then we went to the children’s home which is not far from the church office. The children’s home was really nice and all the boys were very pleasant. I think that this might be the place for me. Even though I will probably only be able to work there on Mondays and Thursdays and then eventually some Fridays as well. The talk with Tom at the boy’s home was really good because I think that he was able to tell me some things about the mission field that help me to understand why I have felt the way that I have for the past month with ups and downs in emotions. There is no schedule at this home so for me I will help out where I can. Also, Tom gave me some testing questions in Spanish to see how my Spanish was and he said that my Spanish was alright. He also told me that I need to be willing to make mistakes and move on afterwards because since I do not know the culture and the way things work I will probably make mistakes. My first time helping out at the boy’s home will be Monday, but since it is by the church office I think I might do a dry run tonight to get myself close to the boy’s home. I will be able to help the boy’s home a lot in the next two weeks because they have a break, but when the boys go back to school I can only help out in the afternoons. When I returned home I relaxed for a while and then did my noon day devotion before lunch. For lunch I had this chicken soup with some vegetables, rice like stuff, and potatoes. Then I did some school work and looked over my Spanish a little bit. My Spanish and school work took me most of the afternoon and I was able to complete one of the projects that is not due for awhile. Before dinner I made sure to do my evening devotion. For dinner I had beef in a gravy with onions and green peppers along with rice. Right after dinner I left to go to my second class called my church. This was my first venture to the church office by myself and with God’s help it was a success. Father Walter opened us up in prayer and also led the teaching and conversations in the class. Tonight’s topics were evangelism and charismatic. We looked at two very familiar passages to me for evangelism which was The Great Commission and then second Timothy three, sixteen and seventeen. I was able to express that I had to remember these verses for a test at Eastern University. However, I was not able to participate much more in the conversation because I was nervous and hesitant. On the other hand, when it came to the conversation about being a charismatic church I was able to answer the question and participate fully in the conversation. When looking at the Scripture passages for both evangelism and charismatic, I had to read a couple verses and I only mispronounced one word. We then closed in prayer and each person said one thing that they would like prayer for. I asked for prayer for the family I am with because Lucas, who had the surgery, has had difficulty sleeping at night because he can not be active during the day because he is in a cast. Then each of us had to pray for the person next to them. My friend Paula prayed for the family, but I was also able to understand her whole prayer and she even thanked God for me being here involved with the other young people of the church. It made me feel really special. I had the privilege of praying for Father Walter and him trying to negotiate a price for some property tomorrow. This means that I did my first pray aloud in Spanish tonight. I asked God to be with Father Walter and that His hand would be on the situation. I also asked that there be understanding. I think the prayer went half descent, but I was nervous the whole time. When the class was over I talked with the Parker’s who run the younger youth group that meets tomorrow evening. They told me that it was going to be earlier tomorrow and then it will not occur again for another two weeks. Grey also asked me if I would be willing to lead the game again, so I accepted since I had fun with the game last week and it was a success. Then I asked if the Parker’s would give me a ride home since my house is on the way to their house. They were nice enough to take me home. During the ride, they stopped to pick up some food and then offered me some French fries, but called them crisps since they are from England. I then told them that I had worked with international people the past two years at summer camp so I was familiar with different phrases or words. Afterwards, we discussed and laughed about the differences the whole way back to my house; it was a good night. When I returned to the house I relaxed for a little while and then did my night time devotion. It was then on to my normal routine of getting a shower and then going to bed.

June 18th 2008

For the second day in a row I was awaken by the sun just before my alarm went off at eight. Then I got up and went downstairs to have a piece of bread and two cups of water for breakfast. Next, I began to get ready for my day right away because I have to leave by nine thirty to get to the class at the language school. After getting ready I had to talk with Adelina about my schedule because she needs to know when she has to cook for me and what times I will be eating. However, since my schedule is not complete yet it was difficult to tell her, but I did the best I could. As soon as I was done trying to explain my schedule to Adelina, I did my morning devotion and then headed out to go to the language school for the cultural class. I also need to go to the language school to make another payment of the bill and it will be fully paid after next week. On my way to the language school I stopped by an ATM that I had used before so I could make another payment on my bill, but the ATM was not in operation. At the language school I stated to learn about the history of Bolivia which is very helpful to understanding the circumstances and conditions here. While at the language school, some of the families were planning a get together on Friday and invited me. I said that I would like to but that I had youth group. However, they said they would keep me posted and that I was welcome to other events with them if I was available. After my class at the language school, I had my first planned weekly meeting with Larry. In the meeting, I was able to tell Larry the good news about my Bridger and what I was able to accomplish last. Then Larry and I discussed different things that have been happening in our lives. This talk was really helpful and it made me realize why I have thought my first month here as been hard and frustrating. We also made arrangements for going to visit a children’s home tomorrow morning. When the meeting was over I was invited back to Larry’s for lunch. Since Betty was making an apple pie and Larry wanted ice cream with it we stopped to get some ice cream, but they did not sell it in large enough quantities. That meant that we left empty handed. On the way back to Larry’s I tried another ATM and was able to get all the money I needed to pay off my language school bill next week. After reaching Larry’s I took some time to look at a guide of public transportation routes and a map so I could try and get better acquainted with the city. For lunch I had a pork chop that had a rub of beer and spices that was delicious. Also, I had corn bread and a salad with apple pie for dessert. During lunch I had a wonderful conversation with Larry, Betty, Bob, and Meg about what I learned at the language school. Also, I had a good discussion with Meg about trying to find a ministry since she is looking to go into some type of ministry she asked me about my experience in trying to find one. Then Bob and I had a good discussion about prison ministry. After lunch everyone except Larry and I had to leave, so Larry and I started to clean up and drying the dishes. Next, Larry and I left for the post office and then I returned to the house for a while before going to worship practice. Before going to worship practice I had some kind of meat which I think was llama in a gravy with onions and carrots along with rice and a potato for dinner. Worship practice went really well and I am learning so many new songs in Spanish. One tonight I sang for them in English before so they asked me if I wanted to sing it in English and I said yes. I also learned a new way that they write notes here and Omar gave me a piece of paper with their translations so I can memorize them. Afterwards I was getting ready to return to the house when I was told that Natta had been robbed. So we went looking for him and it took us a while, but Omar finally spotted him. When I heard this news my heart just broke because he has one of the guys who has made me feel welcome here and really tries to live out the Gospel in his life. The whole trip back to my house I was praying to God to give Natta a healing presence and let him know that the Lord was with him in all of this. As we arrived to the house Shawnee asked that we pray for Natta before I went in, so I was happy to. During this prayer time I asked if Shawnee would translate for me afterwards. So I prayed for Natta and Shawnee translated for me so the rest of the group along with Natta could understand what I said. Normally, when something bad happens to a friend or family member I feel bad, but tonight was different. Even though I have only known Natta for a month or so, I was almost in tears over what happened to him. As soon as I returned to the house Susana gave me the fifty Bolivianos back that she owed me. I then went immediately to my room to do my night time devotion and to say some more prayers about what had occurred tonight. While I was doing my night time devotion, Luigi came to me asking if he could use my cell phone so I let him. Then he was nice enough to talk to me for a while and explain the way that the phone systems work here in Cochabamba. It was then time for me to shower and go to bed because I am going to visit another children’s home tomorrow.

June 17th 2008

Well before my alarm went off, I was awake. I was also surprised because today for the first time in a couple of days the sun was shinning, brightly in my face. Then I had my usual piece of bread and cup of water for breakfast. Then I went and lay back in bed for a while because I had a headache. As soon as I got up, I did my morning devotion and was getting ready to call Larry, when he called me. I told him about the Bridger situation and then we discussed it further. I was also informed that he had not heard back from the children’s home yet. Next, I was going to get ready for the day, when Larry called again and said that he was going to buy the wine for the church and did I want to go along with him. So I got ready and headed out to go to Larry’s apartment. We then caught a bus to the church office to pick up the empty bottles. At the church office, I was greeted by Padre Walter. Then we caught the same type of bus back into town to get the wine. All while traveling Larry helped me pick out landmarks so I would know where I was. When we went to pick up the wine, for the first time I encountered a street child who came to me begging for money. My heart broke a little bit, but I did not know where the money would go if I would have given her some. When we went back to the church office, I was greeted by Deacon Tammy. After dropping off the wine back at the church office, I headed back to Larry’s to catch a truffi back to the house. At Larry’s, we pulled out a map so I could see where the church office was from my house. However, it seemed like today there were not many truffi’s and I had to wait quite a while to get one. When I arrived back at the house, I did my noon day devotion. I was then told it was time for lunch. For lunch I had soup that had chicken, rice, tomatoes, spinach, and potatoes in it. After lunch I went back to my room to relax for a little while before continuing my work on planning part of the retreat coming up in July. For most of the afternoon I worked on the schedule, the topic and theme of the retreat along with activities. While I was working on the retreat I received a phone call from Larry to say that there will be a meeting between Juan and Shawnee today and that we could meet afterwards to discuss the Bridger situation before Shawnee leaves for Israel on Thursday. Then I continued to work on the schedule of the retreat until it was time to leave for the meeting. Larry and Betty picked me up in a cab to take me to the church office. In the cab with Larry, he told me that he had made arrangements to visit the other children’s home on Thursday in the morning. When I arrived there I was greeted by everyone and then Shawnee told me that Juan was not coming, but she arranged a meeting with him later tonight so I waited for Shawnee to be done with her meeting before going back to her house. While going back to Shawnee’s house, I shared with her the ideas I had in mind for the schedule and she said that it sounded great. Also she gave me some advice to help me prepare what I want to with the activities that I have planed during the retreat. As soon as I arrived at Shawnee’s house I met with Juan to try and explain to him what the expectations of a Bridger are; but I did not do a very good job because when Shawnee checked in with us, I was made aware that I made it sound like he was my bodyguard. After Shawnee explained what I meant to say things went more smoothly. I was able to communicate more with Juan about directions to different places and the prices I should be charged to getting to these places. All while talking with Juan after the one incident of making it sound like he was my bodyguard; I noticed that our conversation flowed. I am still not sure if I am pronouncing things correctly or my sentence structure is correct, but Juan was able to understand what I was trying to say which felt great. Juan also knows a little bit of English which was helpful tonight because there were things that I wanted to express in gratitude tonight, but did not know how to say in Spanish. When I returned home from my meeting with Juan, I finished the schedule for the retreat and then decided to relax the rest of the night. While I was relaxing, Susana came and asked me if I had something to eat and I said no so she brought in the food so I could have some dinner. I had chicken and rice for dinner. My talk with Susana was good and helped me continue to work on my Spanish. It was good because I was able to express my feeling about my schedule being complicated right now. Then I was able to have dinner with Quique and it was good to talk with him in Spanish as well. He was able to tell me about his day and what he does when he has a vacation from school as he does now. During my conversation with Quique was the first time I felt like my speaking in Spanish and my translations from English to Spanish finally clicked. After relaxing a little more I decided to do my night time devotion, shower, and go to bed. I feel that the Lord really had his hand upon this day, especially with the encounter with the poor little girl and Juan accepting the position to be my Bridger.

June 16th 2008

As I woke up today my alarm went off. I got up and headed down to get my breakfast of a piece of bread and a cup of water. After breakfast I came back up to my room to relax a little bit before doing my morning devotional. As soon as I was done with my morning devotional I received a call from Larry giving me an update on the progress of today’s activities. He said that he had not heard back about visiting the boy’s home today, but said that the fax of my ministry objectives would be sent out today. When I got off the phone with Larry, I relaxed a little more before getting ready for the day. While I was relaxing, I received another phone call from Larry to say that we would not be visiting the boy’s home today, but that he would like to do something today. That something included meeting a guy named Oscar who is the driver for when groups are in town and Larry said that he was a good resource to have. Also, we are going to make a run to the post office as well. I was then picked up by Larry and Oscar to go do our errands. The first priority was to send the fax which looks like an accomplishment, but I will follow up with and email later today. Then we went to the post office to pick up the mail and to send out a letter. During my time with Larry, I was able to discuss many business issues which was good. To return home, we also went with Oscar again. During the rides with Oscar I was able to understand almost all of the conversation. Since Oscar has been a reliable resource for Larry, Larry thought it would be a good idea for me to have Oscar’s number just in case I get into a situation where I need help or to be picked up from somewhere or taken. It was a very good morning with Larry and we are praying that something works out to visit a boy’s home tomorrow. Another positive was, I was invited to Larry’s for lunch on Wednesday. As soon as I returned from my trip with Larry, I did my noon day devotion and sent the email to make sure that the fax went through. For lunch I had some type of soup with rice, potatoes, spinach, carrots, and chicken and beef. After lunch I decided to relax and a little bit before my meeting later this afternoon. While I was relaxing I received a disappointing phone call from Larry saying that the person who originally was going to be my Bridger does not have the desire and so will not be functioning in that role. So now the issue is trying to find someone who will be will to help me for a few days a week once my schedule is in place. It is my hope to talk about this issue today at my meeting with Shawnee and work this problem out before Thursday. When I arrived at Shawnee’s, we started to plan what the topic would be for the retreat in July. The topic is the fruit of the Spirit because we are going to tie our lessons of the Ten Commandments that we are doing every week at youth group. I have most of it planned out because I worked on it for quite awhile tonight. While I was working, Shawnee told me that one of the people I met at youth group would be happy to be my Bridger. This young man is also a person that Shawnee had in mind for me to start a discipleship program with. Another interesting fact is that this person is Juan who I think I made a connection with while playing ping pong last Saturday. Also, I was able to help get ideas together for the country wide retreat that will happen in December. After both meetings, I was fortunate enough to talk with Paula for a while and I was able to go back and forth between English and Spanish because she wants to learn English. She also helped me with my Spanish which was good for me. Then I went with Shawnee, Omar, and Paula to see the movie Prince Caspian; also the one guy named Diego who I had the opportunity to get to know more this past Saturday showed up to the movies as well. The whole movie was in Spanish, but I was able to understand most of it and talk about it a little bit afterward. I think that this night was really good for me to be speaking mostly Spanish and was a help to my ministry here. When I returned from the movies, I was told by Susana to call Larry tomorrow after nine. It was also kind of late so I took some time to calm down from my day and then did my night time devotion. Then I showered and went to bed.

June 15th 2008

Today I was up before the sun was for once because I thought that I was going to go to Cursillo, but I guess Shawnee forgot because I waited for forty-five minuets and then went back to bed. When I got up again at eight thirty, I went downstairs to have my normal breakfast of a piece of bread and a cup of water. Since I was already ready for my day from earlier, I left after breakfast to catch a truffi to church. I arrived at church in plenty of time, but everything had already been set up so my help was not needed. Also, I had some disappointment when I arrived because I asked Shawnee if she would bring my guitar to church for me last night, but I guess she forgot because she has a lot on her mind. Even all the other missionaries who knew that I was supposed to join the praise and worship team this Sunday asked what happened. I noticed throughout the service that songs are starting to be familiar to me and I can sing them from memorization. The same can be said for the responses that the congregation needs to say. After the service, I was invited to go out to lunch with Shawnee and some other people. So when we were done cleaning up after the service I went with Shawnee and the group back to the house to unpack the car before going to lunch. I had the pleasure of enjoying another lunch at Buffalo’s. However, this time I think I ate way too much and feel like I could go for days without eating. This lunch was very good in all respects. I was able to ask questions of Omar and he would explain the answers to me. Also, I was able to understand most of the conversation and participate in it. I think that the relationship between Omar and I is not where I would like it to be, but I am hoping that maybe this week that our relationship will grow. However, I do think that my relationship with Omar did make some progress today at lunch. At lunch, I was even able to laugh and make some funny comments to make the people around me smile and laugh. I felt like I was myself today and as I would act as if I was in the United States. At lunch today, I tried a peanut soup which is very popular in Bolivia. I also indulged in dulce tres leche again and tried another type of flaky pastry that was good as well. When I returned home from lunch, I realized that I have now been here one month and some thoughts came to mind. One is the fact that I have had to take public transportation and not be able to drive for a month. Another thought is that I have not been able to flush toilet paper and I have had to squeeze in and out of the shower for a month. I have also noticed that I have used a god amount of my supplies so hopefully my suitcase and backpack will not be as heavy going home. Also, I am grateful that I have had the experience of a maid cleaning up after I eat and doing my laundry for a month. The rest of the afternoon I took as a Sabbath by relaxing and resting. Before dinner I did my evening devotion. I think that doing my devotions, reviewing what I learned when I can, and reading my Bible in Spanish is helping me with my Spanish. Because I have noticed a major improvement just within the couple of days that I have been able to do my devotions in Spanish. For dinner I had this fried corn patty with rice, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and an egg. During dinner I was able to talk with both Susana and Adelina which felt great. At dinner, I also noticed that I have become Bolivian in my eating style because I used to keep everything on my plate separate and eat it section by section. Now I cut up everything and eat it all mixed together, but I am still working on the pace and slowing it down like the Bolivians do it. After dinner, I sat down to think about some questions that I have and things that I need to find out this week. I wrote them down so I would not forget to get these tasks that I wanted to be complete. Then it felt great to do absolutely nothing for once I feel that God has given me the Sabbath; He has been telling me to take for awhile. Also, this time of relaxation was a time that God used to help me figure out that His hand has been upon this trip and this has given me a renewed spirit. Before going to bed, I checked email, showered, and did my night time devotion.

June 14th 2008

Today instead of being woken up by screaming children, I was woken up by barking dogs. However, I was able to go back to sleep today until my alarm went off at nine. When my alarm went off, I got up and went down and had my normal breakfast of a piece of bread and a cup of water. After breakfast I went back and sat in my bed and let my mind wonder. I realized I have a lot of thoughts on my mind because I thought about so many different things regarding my time in Bolivia thus far. I thought about how odd it is for me not to have definite plans and to know what I am going to do with the time that I do not have anything scheduled. Then also in the back of my mind is my school work that I need to complete before I leave. Another thought on my mind is the Bible study I will be leading the first Saturday in July and the retreat that will happen two weeks after that. It also occurred to me that this experience is helping me figure out what I am going to do with the rest of my life. Before I came to Bolivia, my desire was to become an ordained priest and possibly work in another besides America. Thus far, I still feel called to the priesthood, but I am starting to doubt the idea that I will be leaving America to work. After letting my mind wonder for a good period of time, I did my morning devotion. While I was praying during my morning devotion, I noticed that my mind continued to wander and I could not stay focused. Since my mind kept wandering, I decided after my morning devotion to let my mind keep processing things because I think that God is trying to reveal something to me. I think a lot of this scatter thoughts has do with the fact with the different environment that I am in, the feeling of being a burden to some people, and constantly not knowing things or not knowing them ahead of time. While I was still thinking, I decided to upload the photos from this week because it takes a while. Then I got ready for my day and did my noon day devotional. While I was doing my devotional, I was told that it was time for lunch. For lunch I had this chicken pasta soup with a potato. After lunch I finished uploading photos, I got ready for youth group and relaxed for a while because there is a class I will now be going to before youth group. As I was relaxing for youth group, I received a call from Shawnee asking if I had an extra string for the guitar that they could use so they could leave a guitar at a retreat house for the Cursillo. So I told her that I did and where it was and so then she said she would pick me up for the class and the youth group. Also, she said that Omar and I could go shopping sometime this week to replace the guitar string. As it turned out they did not need my guitar strings because mine were metal and they needed nylon strings. I was then picked up for youth group and taken to a super market similar to the ones in the United States. When I arrived at Shawnee’s, I help make this tea by juicing oranges. Then I had some time to play ping pong with Juan and Diego. While playing there was good conversation going. It was a great experience. Then I had the opportunity to try the tea and this pastry filled with cheese. We then began with singing and then we began out study on the Ten Commandments with an introduction. I was able to give my opinion tonight which felt great, but I still have a desire to participate in prayer but am not comfortable enough. I also read two verses aloud and only needed help with one word. After our meeting there was free time to socialize which really helped me with my conversation skills. Also, Paula asked me to help her with some ideas because they are going to have a diocesan retreat event in December and she is part of the team creating it. So Monday after my meeting to discuss the format of what we will do as a group on our retreat in July, I will help Paula with coming up with ideas. As well on Monday, I will be going with the rest of the youth group to see the movie Prince Caspian. Juan also gave me a ride home from youth group and Diego was in the car as well so I feel that I really made a connection with these two guys tonight. When I returned from youth group I quickly showered, did my evening devotion, and went to bed. Because I was invited to experience what they do for the people on Cursillo, Sunday mornings and have to get up early.

June 13th 2008

I was awoken early by screaming children, but laid in bed until eight when my alarm went off. Then it was my routine as normal, I went downstairs and had a piece of bread and a cup of water for breakfast. I then began to get ready for my day because I was waiting to receive a phone call from Larry to possibly go to the La Cancha today. After I got ready for the day, I did my morning devotion for the first time out of the Spanish Book of Common Prayer. I feel now that I am reading more Spanish and it is on the religious topic that it will help me minister here in Cochabamba. I then relaxed for awhile because as I found out yesterday Friday is going to be my Sabbath day. While resting I received a phone call from Larry to see if I was still interested in going to La Cancha. I said yes and he said he would give me a call when he was on his way over to pick me up. After my phone call with Larry, I called another missionary named Grey who works with the junior high youth group. I needed to find out what time they meet today. He then asked me if I had thought of any games which I had so I explained them and he said that they would be great. Also, he mentioned if I needed any help to explain the games that he would be happy to help me. Then I was picked up in a taxi with Larry and Betty to go to the La Cancha. When we arrived at the La Cancha we walked around getting various things that Larry and Betty needed or wanted. They also showed me things that I could buy as gifts, but nothing hit my interest today so nothing was bought. While walking around we noticed something was going on and it was a celebration for Saint Anthony day. There was a church named Saint Anthony’s near by so I was able to get a picture. At the La Cancha I saw a guy with an Eastern University polo shirt on. Also, I was amazed at how fast the vendors would come to a person’s assistance even if they were just looking. After my shopping experience I was able to get on the “H” bus to come back home. However it took me longer to get home because there was a block to the normal route. When I returned home, I did my noon day devotional for the first time in Spanish. Since I did not have much time until youth group, I decided to relax for a while. It was quite an adventure trying to get to youth group tonight. The first taxi driver I asked wanted to take me in the wrong direction. The next taxi driver wanted too much money. Finally, I got a taxi driver who would take me and for a reasonable price. When I arrived at youth group, Grey was there to meet me and said that he was impressed with my negotiating ability with the taxi drivers. Then I was introduced to the group and then they had the chance to ask me questions and then I had the chance to ask them questions. They asked me what my favorite movie was, where I was from, did I ever have a girlfriend, and what my favorite type of music was. I asked them what their favorite activities were and what did they enjoy doing. Before the questions, Grey opened up with prayer. It was good because it helped me practice my Spanish. Afterwards, we played one of the games I had in mind called sardines. I explained the game with what I thought was minimal help. We then played it three times and the group loved it and wanted to play it more, but we had to do a Bible study. In the Bible study, we focused on the commandment of honoring the parents. I was told this was done because some of these youth are at the age of not respecting their parents, so the parents suggested that the study be on good values that parents want their children to have. To close the time at youth group, we had three of the youth pray and then Grey closed the whole prayer time. Then it was free time in which the youth went outside to play dodge ball. After dodge ball, I was able to spend some time in the apartment talking with some of the youth and Grey. I thought tonight went really well and that these youth seem to want to get to know me. Even though they did not talk to me that much; when they did talk to me they were very polite and understanding. When youth group was over Grey was nice enough to ask one of the parents to drive me home which was a good experience because towards the end of the ride the family started talking with me and I felt that my Spanish was alright because it felt like the conversation flowed. After returning from youth group, I relaxed for a while and then did my evening devotion for the first time in Spanish. For dinner I had a piece of steak, potatoes, and rice with cheese and tomatoes. After dinner I decided to relax the rest of the night. I felt tired from today so it was kind of early when I showered, did my night time devotion, and then went to bed.

June 12th 2008

As usual I woke up with my alarm at eight and then had a piece of bread and a cup of water for breakfast. Then I relaxed a little bit by lying in bed before getting up and getting ready for my day. I did my morning devotion and then began to get ready for my day. When I was getting ready Larry called and told me to bring my camera because there was snow on the mountains and I could get a good picture from his apartment. Before I left for Larry’s, Adelina asked me for my schedule so she could know when she would have to cook for me. I then went to Larry’s apartment to have a tentative schedule made, to complete some paper work for my class that I am taking, and a discussion about other aspects that apply to my time here. One of the topics that came up was my reaction to criticism and then the issue of my weight came up because the nun made a comment about it yesterday. This is a very sensitive subject for me because people keep telling me that it is a problem and I have tried and continue to strive to deal with and or solve this issue. Thus far nothing has worked and I continue to try to loose weight even here in Cochabamba by watching what I eat and walking more. My last comment about this is that if God calls a person to somewhere which I believe He has done to me; He will use them in whatever condition that they are in. Another point that I thought was good that was made during the meeting was that this is a learning experience for all involved. After my meeting with Larry, I had the opportunity to go out to lunch and see a little bit more of Cochabamba. We went out to Larry’s favorite pizza shop and supposedly taste the closest to American pizza. I had a nine inch pizza with all different kinds of cheese, onions, and garlic. It was good. When we were finished eating lunch, Larry showed me how to get back to America Avenue so I could catch a truffi back to the house. However, when I went to get a truffi, I thought that I got one that went by the house because I had seen several of them go by but this one did not. So I took a little bit of a field trip on my own to see some parts of Cochabamba that are on the west of the Christo since I have only seen the south east and north east. When the truffi’s route ended I asked the driver where was the road Circunvalcion to try and walk back to the house. After walking for a good fifteen minuets, I reached a heavly traveled road that had truffi’s and micros to see if I could catch one back to the house. Finally, I made the decision to flag down a radio taxi to go back home. I was glad with my decision because it was a long fifteen minute ride home and it only cost me ten Bolivianos, which in my mind was not back at all. When I returned home, I made a schedule for the rest of the day because I have phone calls to make and needed to send emails out to make sure that the rest of my time in Cochabamba can run as smoothly as possible. I went to make my phone call to find out where tonight’s events were being held and I could not receive any information because as I found out later; Shawnee’s battery died. I then received a phone call from Larry who said he was trying to get in touch with this other children’s home. Also, I told him that I read the email that he sent as a rough draft for my course that I am taking while I am here. Then, I started preparing a lesson I will be doing the first Saturday in July on the fourth Commandment of keeping the Sabbath. While I was reading over the lesson, Adelina told me I had a visitor and it was Shawnee she figured that I was calling to ask about tonight so she came to pick me up and said I could go with Bishop Frank tonight. So I went to Shawnee’s house and had dinner there. I had salad with a spicy vinaigrette dressing made by Betty and I tried for the first time chicken hearts with another spicy sauce on top of it. I thought that it was delicious and I am happy I am getting a chance to experience new and different things. During dinner, Larry called and said that the other home was not an option because they would prefer to have long-term interns. The plans to go to the Cancha tomorrow were still on. However, Bishop Frank and Shawnee said that they would try and think of other possibilities to work with older children. Later on when I was at Shawnee’s, she and Natta were making salsa and then Natta was going to have a saliche taco. So I decided to try one as well. This taco has a slice of cheese, a hot dog, wrapped in a tortilla wrap and it is eaten with salsa. It was also very good. Then I went to the class tonight called my church which is explaining parts of the Nicene Creed. Bishop Frank and I waited for a while for people to show up and talked about my upcoming lesson and me going to a University with different denominations and me being one of the few Anglicans on campus. We were about to leave when some one showed up. So Bishop Frank gave a lesson on the word catholic and how it means universal. I was able to understand almost the entire lesson and be able to answer one of the questions asked. Tonight, I realized that it is amazing that there are some many languages on this earth, but the Gospel can be taught in any language. Today, it was good to be able to listen to lessons I already learned in English, but to refresh my memory of these lessons in Spanish was a neat experience. During the lesson on the word catholic, we looked through the Book of Common Prayer in Spanish. So when we were finished I asked Bishop Frank if I could borrow the book because I thought that it would be a good idea to help me with my Spanish. He said yes I could borrow it, but after I told him that I wanted to be able to get to know what I know in English in Spanish and do my daily devotions with it; he told me that I could keep it. The rides with Bishop Frank and Shawnee did me well also because it was good to talk with them and receive information along with be able to talk about things that are on my mind. When I returned home from the class, I relaxed for a little while before showering, doing my first night time devotion in Spanish, and then going to bed. Also, I remember that I forgot to make the other phone call I needed to make so that will be a priority tomorrow. It was also weird tonight because for some reason fireworks kept going off.

June 11th 2008

It was a very unusual day today. The sun did not shine in my face to wake me up; as a matter of fact the sun did not come out at all this morning. However, I now have my normal routine of getting up at eight and going downstairs to have a cup of tea and a piece of bread for breakfast. After breakfast I got ready to begin my day and headed straight to Larry’s to then meet up with Omar to visit a children’s home. Before leaving to go to Larry’s I did my morning devotion and asked God to have His hand on this day. I went to go see the Madre de Dios home; it was nice and to see all of these children having a good time and all of them greeted me pleasantly. It was a good experience to see and have. Although, I did like the home, I want to take some time to think about it and pray about it before I make my decision. While at Madre de Dios I received some information about the home in Spanish that I will read. Some of the tour was done in English and some of it was done in Spanish. After a tour of the home, Omar took me to show me where the bus terminal was where people take trips to Santa Cruz and La Paz. Afterwards, since we were close by Omar and I walked through part of the La Concha which is a huge shopping area where a person can find almost anything they are looking for. I noticed when I was with Omar that my Spanish was choppy in the beginning; but as I use it more and more, it gets better. I returned to the house just in time to do my noon day devotional. After my noon day devotional, I decided to read over the information I was given from Madre de Dios and to relax until lunch. While I was on the bus, I experienced my first evangelist trying to evangelize to the people on the bus. I understood most of what he said. Then he tried to sell these magnetic bracelets and said that the bracelets along with a prayer to God would take away any problems a person could have. I thought what he said up to the point of trying to sell the bracelets was good, but I do not think anyone on the bus had the time of day for this guy. Lunch today can best be described as chunky chicken vegetable, and today was a good day to have soup because it is in the fifty’s but it is cool. After lunch, I relaxed for a little while and then because today it looks like will be my educational day with a cultural class in the morning; I decided to look over my Spanish material and study it so that I can continue to improve my language skills. Later on in the afternoon I received a phone call from Larry to get together tomorrow to work on the paper work for a course I am taking for my University while I am in Cochabamba. Before dinner I did my evening devotion and continued to study my Spanish. For dinner I had chicken and rice with scallons and carrots. After dinner I went to catch a taxi to go to my first practice for worship. The taxi driver was really nice and I tried a different method tonight so that I did not have to negotiate a price. The taxi driver and I talked quite a bit because he did not know the place that I wanted to go and so I called Omar to get better directions for him. I think my Spanish is alright, but I would like it to get better because I would like people to be able to understand me. The practice went really well I was able to pick up most of the songs easily. Even though I have struggled with staying on beat in the past; it was not an issue tonight. It was quite an experience to play and sing in Spanish. While I was singing and playing I really felt God touch my heart and I had an unexplainable sense of joy. After the practice, the people wanted to hear me play and sing some song that I know in English. Then they played some songs they knew in English. It was a fun time and I watch them joke around and was able to participate in the clowning around. On the way home, we were listening to music and I noticed that some of the songs are starting to get familiar to me. When I arrived home, the clowning around continue and also I was shocked because I was told that it probably would not rain while I was here. Well, that information is now null and void because it started raining and then it started to pour. As soon as I returned home I relaxed for a while and then did my night time devotion. Before going to bed I went out on my balcony to watch it rain.