July 27th 2008

I did not sleep well because I was at another person’s house so I was awake before my alarm went off. This was good because as my alarm went off, people came into the room where I was sleeping to take a shower and to get ready to go to church. Then I got out of bed and got ready to go to church. While Diego was in my room waiting to get a shower, we had a good talk about the night before and about what I was going to do in the future. I was amazed that I did not have to think much about translating when it was kind of early in the morning for me. It was then time for us to come together for breakfast. We had this French toast bake that Shawnee made and it was good. I then helped Omar pack the car and get ready to go to church. Since, I am on the praise and worship team; I was in the first group to go to church. When arriving to the church, I helped unpack the car and set-up for the service. While setting-up for the service, I helped fix a computer problem because the computer was in English so I translated what it said into Spanish for them and I also tuned my guitar. I also asked my friend Natta to take some pictures at this service since it was going to be a special service. Before the service, Larry gave me the pictures I had asked him to print out to use to get some gifts on Tuesday. It was then time for the service to begin so I took my place with the worship team. During the service, I shared my Bible with Samuel so we could participate. Tammy gave a wonderful sermon and we continued our study in Romans. She emphasized the point about that Christ lives in us. There were also two confirmations during the service and one of my friends Paula was confirmed. It was neat to experience Confirmations in Spanish. Also, people graduated from a class in leadership and received certificates and one of them was my friend Omar. We also prayed for the Parkers who will be leaving this Sunday to go back to England and who I had helped on Friday nights with youth group. After the service, I got some pictures with the Bishop and the Parkers since both of them will not be at any other services while I am in Cochabamba. Also, we moved the chairs into a rented space that is at the corner close to the church office and that the church will use until there building is built and ready for services. Another great experience was that one of the parishioners came up to talk to me about me being in the praise band and wondered what I was doing here. Being able to tell him everything in Spanish and have him understand was an awesome experience. Then I went back to Shawnee’s house to take in the musical equipment and then we all decided to take a nap before having dinner. During my time of rest I took some time to read what we had been studying in Romans in English so I could fully understand everything. Then I did sleep for another hour before getting up to help with cooking dinner. We did not have everything we needed so Shawnee and I ran to the grocery store. During this time with Shawnee, I was able to talk about the pajama party and some differences I noticed between American sleepovers and Bolivian sleepovers. Upon returning to the house, I help make dinner by cutting up mushrooms and made some garlic bread. The rest of the dinner included salad, different types of meat and chicken hearts, chips and salsa. This dinner was in celebration of Paula’s confirmation and Omar’s graduation. Afterwards, I tired to help Omar and Shawnee as they searched for a bass guitar for the church. Also, I watched a little bit of a movie that was in English and then talked with Bishop Frank for awhile. Next, I went to see Kung Fu Panda with Omar, Natta, Paula, and Shawnee. It was all in Spanish but I understood almost the whole movie and it was hilarious. I was even able to express my opinion of how hilarious it was with Omar afterwards. Then I was driven home and said my good-byes; Omar even told me of some plans for Wednesday. It was good to have one last weekend with Shawnee before I leave because she leaves on Tuesday for her daughters wedding and will not return until the week that I leave. Upon returning home, I went straight to bed because I was exhausted.

July 26th 2008

As the sun began to brightly shine into my room, I started to wake up. However, it was before my alarm went off. Before I knew it my alarm went off, so I got up and went downstairs to have breakfast. I had a piece of bread and two glasses of water for breakfast. During breakfast, Luca was downstairs and asking me about my Flyers pajama pants, so I explain them to him. He was full of questions this morning so I answered them. Also, the cat was inside as well so it kept on coming over and pawing me. After breakfast, I still felt tired so I tried to go back to bed but was not able to sleep. When I got up again, I did my morning devotion and began to get ready for my day. Next, it was my priority to work on my Bible study on the Third Commandment which I will present later tonight. This time I will give the lesson in English and Shawnee will translate. It took me a lot of time to work on this lesson because I do not know if people misuse the name of the Lord in this culture. The lesson took me most of the morning to complete. I did have some time before lunch though so I used the internet. Also, before lunch I did my noon time devotional and prayed that God would give me the words for the Bible study tonight. For lunch I had chicken with rice, a potato and some sweet potatoes, tomatoes and avocados, and some lemonade. Today I had lunch with Susana’s family and it was good for me to listen to them speak in Spanish. At the end, Susana told me that if I wanted some cake later tonight that I could serve myself. I then told her about my plans for tonight that I might not return because after youth group there is supposed to be a sleep over party. She thought I said that I was spending the night at girl’s house so then the whole family teased me about that. It was very funny and I laughed a lot. This joking around with me means that the family likes me and is comfortable with me. After lunch I returned to my room to relax for awhile before getting ready for youth group. I also took some time to review the lesson I had created this morning to make sure that it covered what I thought it needed to. Later on in the afternoon, I packed and got ready to go to youth group. Also, I edited and finished my lesson for tonight’s youth group. Then I left early to go to youth group so I could talk with Shawnee and go over my lesson with her. Even though, I arrived early some people were already there and there was a person visiting from Santa Cruz. So I talked with them about my experience here and they wanted to know if I liked it here. They also asked how my Spanish was and I told them it was good but it was not great. I was told then that it takes time to get better and that if I keep on practicing that it will be great. It was then time for youth group to start so we made Jello to sell on Sunday and had a time of worship. Afterwards, it was time for me to give the lesson on the Third Commandment. This time I said everything in English and Shawnee translated. It went just as well as the last one; my questions brought about discussion and some of my points brought new ideas to think about. We ended our time in prayer and if I prayed a short prayer in Spanish in thanksgiving for the evening. The final event of youth group was to pray the Lord’s Prayer together like I had wished to do with the group. Tonight there were some more events after youth group. We did cards for Dia la Amestad which was on Wednesday. So we did a secret buddy system and then wrote nice things about the person without signing our names. Then we gave them the cards and had a time of snaking and drinking some soda. Another event that was schedule was a pajama party and sleep over. During the party, we broke up into two teams and had competitions. The first one was to see who knew their books of the Bible and find them the quickest. I was really good at this game so I had to sit out part of the way through to let other people on my team learn more about the Bible. There was also a true or false game in which we had to be first in the seat. Then there was a game of steal the towel. The final games were to draw a picture on the person’s back a pass it along the line of your team while some people were blind-folded. Another was a game of charades and during this game I did not understand some of the words so Juan and Omar helped explain what the words were to me so that I could play the game. In between the games some of the youth wanted to learn how to make the type of necklace that I was making so I taught them. This night was a lot of fun and I this night definitely helped me improve my relationships with the youth here. It was then time to go to bed because it was late; however, there was not a whole lot of sleeping done. I did stay up for a while to listen to some ghost stories that they were telling, but I did eventually go to bed.

July 25th 2008

I went to bed tired last night, but still with noises managed to wake-up before my alarm went off. When my alarm finally did go off, I got up and went downstairs to have breakfast. I had one kind of stale piece of bread and two glasses of water. During breakfast, I talked with the two other students here about my experience in the church with having Communion every Sunday and liking both the traditional and contemporary music. Even though I am not really a morning person I have enjoyed my talks with these students in the morning. After breakfast, I came back upstairs to wait to hear from Shawnee about possibly going to the woodshop this morning. The time had almost past when she said that she would contact me and so I was about to call Larry when he called me. He is worried that I will not be able to get on the earlier flight and so he wants to make it a priority to get it changes. So he arranged to have me drop-off my tickets to see if he could get them changed today. This conversation with Larry did not go so well and as I keep seeing things not going well between us, it worries me. I feel that the last couple times I have talked with him that nothing I do is ever good enough. There seems to be thing he wants me to do that I am trying to do and when there is a sound of disappointment in his voice like there has been the past couple of time, it makes me want to go home. I do not know if this is the enemy opposing our work here or if it is stress that is on Larry. This is upsetting because I used to look forward to weekly meetings and talking with Larry, but now I dread them for fear of being hurt. It is my plan to drop-off the tickets on my way to Casa de Nazeret. Next, I got ready for my day as if I were going to Casa de Nazeret. I also did my morning devotion and prayed that the rest of my day would be much better than my morning. Since I had some free time before I needed to leave, I looked at the Third Commandment to start to plan my lesson for Saturday. Then I relaxed until it was time for me to leave to meet Larry and then go to Casa de Nazeret. My first stop was to Larry’s where I gave him everything that I had and thought that he needed. I also apologized for the confusion and then Larry informed me that he might call me if needs me present to get the tickets. Upon leaving Larry’s I made walk a ways and then picked-up my micro and went to Casa de Nazeret. I made it to the boy’s home early and then waited what seemed like forever for the other help to arrive. While waiting I watched the boys help the lady who is in charge a welcome home poster for the head sister of the house who would return to the house today after being gone for five weeks. It was then time for lunch and we had this tomato and onion mix along with some other mixed vegetables that tasted like Cole-slaw. There was also ground meat mixed with cut-up hot dogs along with rice. For a drink we had fruit punch today which is a change from lemonade all the other times and the fruit punch was sweet as well. After lunch the boys did there chores and as the boys finished their chores, the head sister arrived back to the house so we all went out to greet her. When the boys finished saying their greetings, I introduced myself and said hello. It was then time for homework and so I helped one boy with his language homework. We first found words that began with the letter “c” and then he had to draw a picture of that item and color it in. Next he had to fill in sentences with descriptive words and so I helped him come up with different adjectives and then helped him spell the words as well. He then went to the lady in charge to have his work checked because he was finished. She said that is work was good and that he was now free. When he was told he was free, he came over to me and thanked me and then gave me a hug. Then he ran outside with a smile on his face and I went to see if I could help some other boys. The next boy had to write a summary of the story of the Ugly Duckling and I had to review it. Another boy I was able to help him with some addition problems until it was snack time. For snack today, two other missionaries who were here for three weeks and this was their last day that I would work with them brought banana bread so I tried some. During the snack time, these missionaries told me about their horrible experience of being supervised while making the banana bread. The conversation then moved into talking about food so I told them if they could before they left to try my favorite restaurant here called Buffalo’s. I also had the neatness experience when talking during snack, I was talking in English with the other missionaries and then told one of the boys to wait in Spanish then when I went back to talking with the missionaries I started talking to them in Spanish. After snack, we went to play adults versus the boys but the boys also had another boy from the neighborhood on their team who was really good. This also means that the adults team lost by one point. On the way back to the house and as I was leaving the boys wanted to know if I would return tomorrow and they were upset when I told them no. However, I explained to them that I had other work with my church and then they did not seem so disappointed that not be back tomorrow. Also, I told them that I would see them on Monday. Upon returning to the home, I got ready with on of the other missionaries to go back home. We then left and on the way to pick up our different truffis I talked with him and found out it might be Susana’s Birthday today. Before departing from him, I wished him well and told him it was nice to meet him since today is the last day I will work with him because he goes back to Canada on Sunday. Then I caught a micro and then truffi back to the house and arrived a little earlier than normal because I left a little earlier than normal because I was really tired after the soccer game. When I returned to the house since I did not here from Larry today I sent him and email to check-in with him and to give him some information I found out today. I then tried to relax until dinner but the dogs kept on barking non-stop so it was difficult to fully relax. While trying to relax, I was realized and was thankful that God had answered my prayer of allowing me to have a much better day than my morning. Today, at the boy’s home I feel that the lady in charge and I have a relationship now because she seemed to be happier today when she greeted me and then I had to ask her for some help with one of the boy’s homework problems because I could not understand what he had written. When she explained what it was she was pleasant. I think she enjoys having me as another helper so she does not have to try and help all the boys. For dinner I had chicken tacos and also I confirmed with Quique the new I heard earlier that it was Susanna’s Birthday. So we also had cake for dessert as a treat and we all sang Happy Birthday to her. After dinner, we all stayed around the table and talked for a while which was good. I was even able to joke around with Luigi and Quique and even Susanna joked around with me about a couple of things which makes me feel that I have made some good relationships with this family. I then went back to my room to relax for awhile and I also let the two students borrow my bug spray since they will be going to the jungle tomorrow. Finally, I felt really tired and so I did my night time devotional, showered, and went to bed.

July 24th 2008

Even though I went to bed later than normal last night, I still woke up moments before my alarm went off. I then got up and went downstairs for breakfast. When I got downstairs, I was greeted by the new students and then had my breakfast. For breakfast I had a piece of bread and a glass of water. Breakfast took longer than normal this morning because there was really good conversation between the new students and I talked about Spanish and the differences of denominations in Christianity. After breakfast, I came back to lie in bed for awhile, but one of the children kept on screaming so I could not go back to sleep. Since, I could not sleep, I got up and typed out some emails that I wanted to send. Also, I did my morning devotion and then got ready for my day. Since, I had some free time after getting ready I was able to send out two of the three emails that I needed to. It took me a while to gather all the information that I needed for the two emails to go out. Afterwards, I relaxed for awhile before heading to Casa de Nazeret. Before leaving I made a phone call to see if Juan, one of the guys from the youth group, wanted to go to a concert tonight that is with four guitar players from Brazil. Once I finally got my phone to work, Juan said that he did want to meet up. Then as I headed out to Casa de Nazeret, I told Adelina I would not be home for dinner. I arrived at the boy’s home in plenty of time and was able to talk with other missionaries about whether or not there is a soccer game this Sunday. Before I knew it, the boys returned from school and greeted me with hugs and hand shakes. Next, it was time for lunch which I had this mixture of scrambled eggs, green beans, and green peppers on top of rice and potatoes that were like home fries. At lunch today, I felt like I talked with the boys more than I used to. I asked them questions and answered their questions and we talked all throughout lunch. While the boys did their chores after lunch, I talked with another missionary, who is about to leave Bolivia for good on Sunday, about thinking we have a lot of time to buy presents but for some reason we wait until the last minute to buy them. We also shared what we had bought for different people. It was then time for homework which was difficult today because one of the ladies who normally works there was not in today. So there were three volunteers, including me, helping the younger boys with their homework and only two of us could speak Spanish. This made it an interesting day for me moving all around to make sure every boy who needed help, received it. I noticed when I was helping one of the boys, he basically sat on my lap as I explained and helped him with his math homework.When homework time was over, it was time for the last day of Frisbee for this week. So I went and helped be a referee for the two games. On the way to and from the Frisbee games, I was able to talk with other missionaries about what I was doing here in Cocabamba and to find out more about them as well. Upon returning to the boy’s home, I relaxed a little while before leaving. I then took my normal micro to America Avenue and then walked quite a distance to get to the place where the concert was being held. On my way to the concert, I received a call from Larry because there was confusion about communication between us and also he wanted to talk about changing my flight. I made it to the concert place a little after I said I would meet Juan there. However, not long after I arrived Juan arrived. So we were able to talk about our different activities and what we are studying. It was good to hang out with Juan tonight because I was able to practice my Spanish and get to know Juan a bit more. The concert was really different and I enjoyed it very much. These guitarists from Brazil played the guitar by picking the strings and playing one note at a time. Even though the concert did not start on time, it only lasted an hour. Afterwards, Juan and I walked and talked about how much we enjoyed the concert. Juan also asked me if I understood one of the guys as he explained the songs and I said that I only understood a little bit. I was then informed by Juan that the guy was speaking in Portuguese. Once we reached America Avenue, I thanked Juan and then we said our farewells until Saturday. I then caught a truffi home and once I returned home I looked for some bread since I did not have dinner was there was none. So I showered, said some night time prayers, and went to bed.

July 23rd 2008

When I went to bed last night it was a rough beginning because the dogs here were barking nonstop. However, once I did go to sleep and I think I had one of the most pleasant night’s sleeps since I have been here in Cochabamba, Bolivia. That also means that I woke up when my alarm went off at eight. Then I went downstairs to have breakfast which was a piece of bread and two glasses of water. During breakfast, I talked with the new students about what I do on Wednesdays, and explained the morning to them since I would be their tour guide and taking them to the language school. After breakfast, I came back up to my room to do my morning devotional. Next, I got ready for my day and to head out to the language school for my weekly cultural class. It was then off to show the new students how to get to the language institute from the house. So we caught an “H” micro and were on our way. When we got off the micro ran into Bishop Frank. He was looking for Larry and so I gave him Larry’s cell phone number so they could connect. Then I took the new students to the bank so they could get some money to pay for classes and rent. The first bank did not accept their card so we walked to another bank and it was successful. Next, we went to the language school and as it turns out the cultural class was on time and not postponed as I was told it was earlier. When we got to the language school, I made sure the students felt comfortable getting back home and they introduced themselves to some of the other students. The other students wondered what I have been up to and so I told them about my work. It was a good lesson about the differences between collectivistic and individualistic cultures. I was able to share my example with Mauge about not offending the Herbal Life lady. After the class, I was also able to share my experience of my Bible study on Saturday with Mauge and thank her for all her help. I then went to Free Hands which is a ministry to help women out of prison have work making things. So I made some orders for gifts to take back with me. I also had lunch at Free Hands because they have a café. For lunch, I had a hamburger with French fries and then they told me I should try the chocolate cake for dessert. At lunch I found out that today is Dia de Amestad which is friendship day and is kind of like Valentine’s day in the United States except it is for friends and not lovers. After lunch and placing my orders, I made my way to Larry’s for our weekly meeting. I thought the meeting was mostly good; we discussed my activities and my time here. A major concern was my plane flight home because Larry thinks the connection from Cochabamba to Santa Cruz is tight which makes it tight for me to catch my flight from Santa Cruz to Miami as well. I had the opportunity to talk about topics that I wanted to discuss as well. Even though I enjoy these talks, there is also one part that really frustrates me and it kind of gets my spirits down. When my meeting with Larry was over, I talked with Betty for awhile and then she gave me a book to read to help kill some time because I had a meeting with Shawnee in a little while. While at Larry and Betty’s, Betty told me that she knew of some people who were reading my blogs which was an encouragement to me. After reading for awhile, I headed to Shawnee’s for my meeting with her. I was able to talk to her about thing that I wanted to and then I was able to interview her and finish my last interview. All that was talked about was helpful for me to saying good-bye and doing and saying culturally acceptable things. It was amazing to her a small part of Shawnee’s story and to see how God has a wonderful sense of humor. Everything she said, even though some parts were difficult, was very encouraging. At the end of all my questions, Shawnee and I just talked about life in another culture and being God’s light. I think that this talk with Shawnee is another highlight of this trip because I learned so much more about the work of God in my life and about how this experience has and is changing me. Also, she asked me to do the lesson for this week as well, but I would do it in English and she would translate for me. So I said of course I would be happy to do the lesson. With both Shawnee and Larry, I made plans to order my final presents to take back with me. When Shawnee and I finished talking, it was time for worship practice. We went over all the songs and I think this Sunday will be good because there are a few songs that we are singing that I know in English. After practice, I asked Omar to copy some music for me so I can listen to the music I have been singing and playing for the last two months. The music will be ready for me to pick-up on Saturday and then I left to return home. Andrea gave me a ride home and do we talked about mission work and returning home since we are both about to return to our home countries soon. Upon returning home from practice, I had a little snack of Ritz crackers since I did not eat dinner. It was then late so I showered, said some night time prayers, and went to bed.

July 22nd 2008

It was nice to sleep until my alarm went off at eight. I then got up and went downstairs to have breakfast. When I got to the kitchen, the two new students were there as well. So I had a piece of bread that had cheese on top of it and two glasses of water. During breakfast, it was good to have someone else to talk to for once. After breakfast, the two new students went out to explore and I went back to my room. I lay in bed for awhile and eventually I started dozing on and off. Then my other alarm I had set went off so I did my morning devotion. Also, when I got up again I got ready for my day. Since it did not take me long to get ready, I had some time to relax before leaving. I then left a little bit earlier than usual to see if the truffi was less full, but it was in fact worse. So I will leave at the normal time tomorrow. While I was waiting for the micro to Casa de Nazeret, a lady came up to me from Herbal Life which is a diet program and invited me to this fitness club. So I did the Bolivian thing of saying I would call her or write her an email and did this so I would not offend her. Then I caught the micro and arrived so early so it was just me and two other missionaries at the home. So we talked about a soccer game that is going to be here in the stadium on Sunday and me possibly going to help chaperone the boys who want to go to the game. Then the boys arrived home from school and greeted us and some of them hugged me. The boys got changed out of their school clothes and then got ready for lunch. For lunch there was this casserole with pasta, ground beef, onions, tomatoes, and potatoes. It was good and all during the lunch the boys asked me questions about and telling me how they thought my Spanish was improving. At the end of lunch, they started asking each other math questions and asking me if their answers were correct. In the prayer after lunch, one of the boys prayed for me which made me feel special. After lunch, it was time for the boys to do their chores. While the boys did their chores, I went with another missionary to give them pictures that I took of soccer and the day we went to the park. It was then time for homework and today was hard because several of the boys wanted me to help them with their math homework. So I helped some for a while with telling time and knowing how many days are in several of weeks and weeks in several of months. When the homework period was over, I went to play soccer with the boys at the park. It was a mix of adults and boys on a team because there were not enough players to play adults versus the boys. My team ended up winning ten to three, but everyone had fun. Upon returning to the boy’s home, the other missionaries and I talked while the boys got their showers. Then I headed home and for the second day in a row Adelina and Quique got on the same truffi as me. Once again it was nice to have someone to talk to and walk home with. Upon returning to the house, I had a little time to relax before dinner. For dinner, I had llama in a peas and carrots gravy, along with rice and a potato. During dinner I had the opportunity to talk with the new students about their first day of classes and Spanish. After dinner, Susana came home and Luigi came in. So we all talked and even Lucas was brought downstairs for a while to talk. While talking with everyone, I received a phone call from Larry. He told me to check my email and we made tentative plans for tomorrow. After the phone call, I went to my room to use the internet and then relax for awhile. I then decided to say some night time prayers, shower, and go to bed.

July 21st 2008

My night went pretty well last night except for the fact that I drank to much water in the evening. However, I did get up with my alarm at eight even though I felt like I did not want to get out of bed this morning. Then I went downstairs to have a piece of bread a cup of water for breakfast. After breakfast I came back upstairs and went back to bed for awhile. Once I got up again I did my morning devotion and then got ready for my day. Since I was ready to go to Casa de Nazeret early, I took some time to organize myself and list items that I need to talk with Shawnee about, and Larry, and other tasks that I have to complete before I leave. Also, I remembered that I needed to send out an email so I went to do that. However, the internet was not functioning so I will have to wait until later to send the email. I forgot to mention three realizations that occurred yesterday. One was the fact that at church while talking with Bob, I realized that missionary work is a day by day, moment by moment type of work. This is interesting because I have been saying the prayer for serenity almost everyday in my morning devotion. Another observation I made after finishing my school work was a desire to work in a team setting. For most of my life since I am an only child, I was more than happy to do things on my own. Now, I think God is helping me to become more of a team player for His kingdom. Finally, last night Susanna made the comment that my hair is long and I knew that once my hair was long that my time would be close to being over. For the rest of the morning I took time to relax. While resting Adelina came to ask me about plans for lunch and I felt bad because I meant to tell her last night but I had forgotten. Before I knew it though, it was time for me to head out to the boy’s home. The truffi ride to the boy’s home was very tight which was uncomfortable for and the same for the micro as well which surprised me. I arrived in plenty of time and was greeted by Tom and then the boys came to greet me and tell me some bad news. One of the boys ran away from the school today. Also, Tom informed me that the family that had been staying at the boy’s home and I had been praying for would be leaving because the mother had an operation that was successful. She had her check-up today and the doctor said that all the cancer was gone and that it did not spread as well. Then I ate lunch with the boys; I had fried liver with rice and cucumbers. After lunch, the boys did their chores and then it was time for homework. While the boys did their chores, all the missionaries agreed that we needed to play another game of soccer against the boys and so we are going to play tomorrow. Today, during the homework period I helped this one boy with his math homework. Then he had to read these stories three times and then explain to me the concepts and actions of one of the stories. So to help him read we took turns reading a page and then at the end he was able to explain the story very well in detail. I think reading the story with him help me with my Spanish just as much as me helping him read. At the end of the homework period two other boys came to me to explain the stories they read. When homework was over, it was time for more Frisbee games for the boys. The two games went better than the last games I was told. Also, during the games I had a good talk with some other missionaries about how the boys are improving in school with our help. One unfortunate action that happened during one of the games is that two of the boys got into a fist fight which is the first fight I have seen at the home. They had to be separated and then they were talked to while another missionary and I walk the rest of the group back to the house. Upon returning to the house, I helped the other missionaries calculate scores and discuss who we thought would win the tournament. The boys then had to do their chores, shower, and then get ready for dinner. So I left to head home to the house. On the way back to the house Quique and Adelina got on the same truffi as me. That means I had someone to talk with and walk home with. I also met one of Luigi’s math teachers as well so the whole way home I had the opportunity to practice my Spanish while having a conversation about the United States. He knew about California and a little bit about Pennsylvania. When I returned to the house, I met two new students who will be here for two weeks to study Spanish. We then had dinner which was chicken, pasta with peas and carrots in a gravy, and a potato. During dinner and the rest of the evening I talked with the new students to find out more about them, to explain what I am doing here, I also tried to be as helpful as possible and inform them about customs and other helpful tips. Then I let them look at a map that I was given to help them know where they had been and where they are going. Susana is even letting me help her by letting me show them how to get to the language school on Wednesday when I go. She arranged to have them take a taxi to and from the language school tomorrow. After dinner and talking with the new students I came back to my room to relax for awhile before getting ready to go to bed. While relaxing I was able to send the email that I tried to send earlier today and could not. Then I did my night time devotion, showered, and went to bed.

July 20th 2008

Another day of amazement because of the number of possibilities of how I could be woken up here in Cocabamba, Bolivia in the mornings. I was woken up an half an hour early by people cutting the hedges and doing yard work. I guess it is better than over sleeping like I did yesterday. After getting up, I immediately got ready for my day and to go to church. Then I went downstairs to have breakfast which I finally was able to have two cups of water because they finally bought water yesterday. Also, I had a piece of bread and I tried a little bit of milk, but it tasted like cream so I did not have any more. When I finished breakfast, I had some time to relax before going out to church. It was then time for me to catch a truffi and then a micro to get to church. I thought I arrived at church at what would be considered on time for Bolivian time, but I was still early so I had to wait a few minutes. While waiting I worried a little bit about whether or not Omar would remember my guitar after the mix up on Wednesday and I forgot to ask last night. So I said a little prayer and told God that I would leave it in His hands. After going in a greeting Father Walter, it was not long until the other musicians arrived so I was able to help bring in guitars. Next, I tuned my guitar and then help set up for the service. We then warmed up by playing a song and then we prayed before we got started. As the service opened with a familiar song of Come Now is the Time to Worship, I felt that this Sunday was different from the others. Today, I really felt that I was fully immersed in worship and that I was spiritually filled by the service. Even though I have been able to understand the whole service for a while now; I really felt the presence of the Holy Spirit today. Father Pepe who is bilingual gave the sermon today and it was awesome, he took the Gospel of Matthew in which it talked about bearing fruit and tied it in with our study in Romans. I was able to play all the songs with very minimal mistakes and was able to do most of the congregational responses from memory. Also, once I knew the chords for the song, I was able to sing most of the songs from memory as well. After the service, the leader of music Omar even said that I did well today. Then I helped pack the car with the music equipment. Bob and Meg returned from their trip and it was good to see them again and catch up with them. Also, I was able to spend some time with the Parkers which was good since they have a week left before they go back to England. They have also been really welcoming towards me and I am glad that God has blessed me by putting them in my life. There was good news that the church now has a property of its own. They need to clean it up first and then they will begin the building process. Another piece of news is that there will be voting here on August the tenth which means everything is closed down and nobody is allowed to congregate. This also means that service was moved to Saturday and this will be my last service at La Trinidad. After everyone had left the church, I went back to Shawnee’s to drop off the music equipment and then we went to my favorite place, Buffalo’s. On the way into Buffalo’s, I talked with Shawnee about setting up a meeting to talk about saying good-bye and just talking with her about youth ministry. So Wednesday I will go early to worship practice and have a discussion with Shawnee. I think that I tried as many different types of meat as I could and tried a different variety of sides as well. Also, today I shared a pitcher of apple juice with Omar and Paula. The juice was good and very sweet. Then I had my favorite dessert of dulce tres leche. During lunch, Shawnee mentioned the fact that especially after the lesson I did last night that I am a part of their lives now and that a picture should be taken. I hope to talk about getting some pictures at my meeting on Wednesday as well. Since we were all stuffed from lunch, they dropped me off at my house and I decided to relax the rest of the afternoon. However, in the back of my mind I have the desire to finish the second interview I have done since I am almost finished. Upon returning to the house I observed that a lot of yard work had been done. Also, the unoccupied room was all clean and the bed was made which makes me think that a new student might be moving in soon. I noticed also that I was really thirsty so I made sure to fill a bottle of water and almost drank it all immediately. I think it was because the juice was so sweet at lunch and I drank a lot of it even though it did not quench my thirst. As it ended up, I did relax until it was time for dinner. Before dinner, Quique came to ask me if I wanted to play soccer with him later tonight, but I told him that I thought that I had plans to go to the movies with some friends from church. However, I never received a phone call from them so those plans did not work out. I am sure that God had a purpose for the plans not to work out. For dinner I had rice with carrots, tomatoes, and onions, along with a potato and an egg. While I was eating dinner, Susana came and talked to be about going to work tomorrow and I said I would be doing the same. After dinner, I did decide to finish the school work that I had. I was able to finish my work so I then relaxed for part of the night. Then I used the internet before getting ready for bed. Next, I did my night time devotion to thank God for an awesome two days, took a shower, and went to bed looking forward to working at Casa de Nazeret tomorrow.

July 19th 2008

My day started unusually today. As I woke up, I thought I had some time before my alarm would go off. Then I heard some noises in the house that usually happen later on in the morning, so I decided to check what time it was. When I checked what time it was, I realized I had slept an hour and a half later than I expected. So I reset my alarm and heard it go off. I am not sure whether my alarm did not go off or whether I did not hear it this morning. However, when I did get up, it was too late for me to have breakfast. Next, I decided to write and an email which took me a good majority of the morning to write and then I decided to relax for a little. While relaxing, I listened to music and put up some more of my pictures on my blog. Before lunch, I was able to do my noon time devotional. For lunch, I had a piece of steak and a piece of sausage along with rice and a potato. There was also a little bit of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. During lunch, Susanna came and ate with me. We talked about how much time I had left here. Other topics we talked about was my experience here do far and what I would be doing when I returned to the United States. This was a good opportunity for me to practice my Spanish and I notice that now most of the time I subconsciously translate in my mind and then say what I need to. It also occurred to me that it has now become rare for someone to correct me or look at me weird because I do not make sense. After lunch, I decided to do some work. The first part of the afternoon I was able to upload all my pictures to my blog. Next, the second half of the afternoon, I went back to working on the same school work I was working on last night and trying to finish it. I was almost able to finish my work; I just need to add my opinion and then I will be finished and what a relief that will be. While I was working Susanna came and asked me for money to pay the internet bill, but I remember what Mauge told me so I did not give her the money. I felt kind of bad telling her I did not have the money. It was then time for me to head to youth group. I wanted to leave a little early because I am not sure if I am doing my Bible study tonight or if it has been moved to next week. Also, I wanted to see where Shawnee wanted me to add more information for discussion. I arrived in plenty of time and for some reason one of the truffi drivers told me that I owed him fifty centavos that is was two Bolivianos. When I got to Shawnee’s, we went over my lesson for the second Commandment and edited it. Then Shawnee prayed that God would give me the words and that it would be His lesson. The others from the group started to arrive and so that meant it was time to cook for tomorrow. We made something similar to rice crispy treats. After cooking, we played a couple games of Uno which was a lot of fun. Then we had a time of worship and then it was time for the lesson. The lesson had its ups and downs. Some of my questions and comments really got a discussion going and others there was silence. I think that the understood the lesson and that it hit home and the people there were given God’s presence. It was the second Commandment about not having idols. We started by trying to define the term and the we named things that are considered idols. Our time ended with prayer which was the longest time I have ever prayed with a group. Shawnee wanted it to be a time of confession and or adoration. During the time of prayer, everyone was prayed for and when I was prayed for it was such a neat experience to have. Tonight was such an awesome experience; even though I felt that I did not contribute much, but the discussion was great. I had just a little trouble with some of the Spanish, but I realized that I had just as much fun of doing a Bible study in Spanish as I would if I did it in English. Shawnee was there to help me rephrase the question if necessary or to help clarify what I said. I know that I need more practice doing Bible studies in Spanish and then they will have the results that I would like. Then we made plans to have a party next week along with planning to do a youth Sunday next Sunday as well. When it came to taking roles for youth Sunday; the group wanted me to give the sermon which kind of surprise and an honor at the same time. Afterwards, the youth decided to go get something to eat and invited me along with them. Before we left, they group asked me when I was leaving and when I told them, they seemed that my time would be ending soon. We went to eat at the same place that I ate with the youth once before after youth group. This time I tried their tacos which are much different from the tacos in the United States. While eating there was good conversation about things I did in high school, what kind of cars I liked. Omar also asked me if I would give him my cross that I have worn the whole time I have been here and I told him it might be possible. Another thing that I thought was funny tonight was that before we left to eat and while we ate, they teased me about me needing to have a girlfriend. Next, I returned to the house to shower, say some night time prayers, and go to bed since it was late and I was tired.

July 18th 2008

It was great to be able to fall asleep fast and to be able to sleep peacefully the whole night. I slept so sound that my alarm woke me up at eight for once. Then it took me awhile to get out of bed because I did not want to. When I finally did get up, I went downstairs and I only had a piece of bread for breakfast because there still is no water. Then I came back upstairs and went back to bed and was able to fall back to sleep. The rest did me well because when I got up again, I felt fully recovered from whatever sickness I had the other day. While I was sleeping I received a phone call from a number I did not recognized, but decided to answer it anyway. It was the phone company telling me that I could buy a card to put minutes on my phone. The person spoke all in Spanish and I was half asleep so I did not understand a whole lot of it except for what I stated above. After getting up again, I began to get ready for my day. Next, I did my noon time devotional and said an extra prayer for good and safe travel for the team from Holy Cross. Then I used the internet and worked on some school work that I have. It was then time for lunch in which I had this chicken noodle soup without the chicken, but with a piece of beef instead. After lunch, I continued my work on my blog until going to youth group later in the afternoon. About the time I was getting ready to leave early for youth group, I called Grey because I remembered that he had my old number which was now lost since my other cell phone was stolen to check on plans for youth group. When I called I had a couple minutes to talk and then the credit ran out on my phone so the call was dropped. Grey called me back and then told me the plans and to come over now so that I could have a talk with him. Before leaving, I could not find Adelina so I asked the grandfather if he would tell her that I would be home for dinner. So I went out and caught a cab to the final youth group of the younger teens because the Parkers are returning to England in the beginning of August. When I arrived I went up to the apartment and then Grey and I went outside for our talk because there was a lot of commotion going on in the apartment. The talk with Grey went really well and I thought it was a true blessing to learn more about him and his ministry here in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Grey also told me afterwards that he enjoyed being able to talk about what he has experienced as a missionary in youth work. It was also good to see how God uses people and sometimes it is not always in their homeland where they are needed. After my talk with Grey, we went to the bowling alley because that is what they had planned for their final youth group. So the group showed up and had a good time bowling. During bowling, I had one of the guys help me with my cell phone to put more minutes on it. Also, I was able to talk with some of the youth which was good for me to practice my Spanish. This group has been really accepting of me and welcoming. I also talked with Anna, and she asked me how much more time I had here and what my schedule was. After I told her what my schedule was she invited me to go out with some of the other youth of the church to the movies on Sunday afternoons. When the group was finished bowling, we walked to this little shop to get cake and this drink called api. However, they were out of cake and so we just got to choose on thing that we wanted off the menu. I choose to get strawberry fruit juice which was good. Then Grey walked with me part of the way and then I caught a truffi back to the house. The youth group when longer than normal so I arrived at the house a little bit later than expected. When I returned to the house, Adelina asked me if I had eaten and I told her no. Then she told me that my dinner was in the microwave and I could heat it up. For dinner I had beef with peas, carrots, onions, with pasta, and a potato. After dinner, I decided that the rest of the night I would work on some other school work that I have. To end my day, I showered, did my night time devotional, and went to bed.

July 17th 2008

What a night I had last night. The penne dish I had for lunch did not settle well with me. I was up through out the night running to the bathroom. This is the sickest I have been in the longest time. All throughout the night, I was praying that God would lay His healing hand upon me and make me feel better. Another option for me to feel better was that I took some medicine and even needed to take some Cipro. I also really wanted to go on this trip to Inca-Chacka with the people from Holy Cross. Since, I had such a rough night I did not want to get up when my alarm went off at seven thirty. However, I needed to get up to run to the bathroom once again. Next, I came back to lie in bed for awhile to see if I would feel better. While lying in bed, I contemplated whether I should call to let the people know that I was sick and not able to go on this trip. I finally got up and got ready as if I was going on this trip. As I was getting ready, I had to run to the bathroom once again and while there I felt this weird sensation of being hot and cold at the same time and feeling like I was going to pass out. So after being in the bathroom, I went back to lie in my bed for a little while longer. After laying in bed and praying, I felt a little bit better and got up to head out to meet the team for this trip. First, I went downstairs to have a little breakfast, but all I could manage to eat was two bites of a piece of bread. I arrived on time for meeting the team and then we headed out on a two and a half hour drive to our destination. The ride was not bad except for when we hit the bumpy roads it did not make my stomach feel any better. Along the way we stopped a few times to be able to take some pictures of the beautiful scenery. At the first stop I did not feel so well, but the other two I felt average. On the bus ride there, some of the people of Holy Cross tried to get to know me a little bit better and so they asked me some questions. Then we reached the restaurant we were going to eat at which specialized in trout. Before we had lunch we walked around this restaurant which was a hatchery for trout so we got to see babies all the way up to adults. Also, I had to run to the bathroom again once we reached the restaurant. When we were served lunch, we were given two whole trout, rice, and a potato. I also drank a Coke hoping it would make my stomach feel better. At lunch, it was my first time experiencing eating trout and it was not bad. After lunch, I noticed that I was feeling a little better, but still not at a hundred percent. I had stomach cramps, but it was better than the way I felt before. Then we made our way to Inca-Chacka which means Inca bridge. So we took the whole afternoon to hike a path the Incas took through the rain forest. All the sites were so incredible to see. The hike was tough, but well worth it. I felt the altitude on the way down and especially on the way up. Everyone encouraged each other though which made the journey not seem as tough as it was. When we finished our hike, we went back to the restaurant to use the bathroom and then for our two and a half hour ride home. On the way home, I had some good conversations about what we had seen. While on this tour today, I was able to talk with the tour guide in Spanish and she enjoyed having someone else to talk in Spanish with even though she could speak English pretty well. Also, I was able to take a little nap as well. Then the group had me call Shawnee to ask to call for the pizza for dinner. However, she waited to get people’s input when we got to the guest house on what people wanted on the pizza. Shawnee then ordered the pizza, so the rest of us talked as we waited for the pizza to come. Also, there was the disappointment that for some reason the house had ran out of water and so Shawnee went to find someone to deliver water so the Holy Cross team could take showers before they leave tomorrow. We then had the pizza for dinner which was good. The pizza was huge and split into four quarters. One had chicken and corn, another had, all kinds of meat with peppers and mushroom. There was also ground beef and there was another section with different types of meat with peppers and onions. During dinner, I told Shawnee that I would go over my visa by two days and she told me that there was a way for me to get an extension without paying a fine and that she would help me get that extension. After dinner we sat around talking and when Omar arrived he shared his English music collection and some of the people sang along with the music. It was very funny to watch and hear. Also, one person wanted to tell Omar something so I was able to serve as a translator for them. Then the team was getting ready to have their Bible study so I decided it was time for me to go home. It was late and not having a lot of sleep the night before and all the activities of today, I was tired. Before leaving, I said my good-byes to the team and thanked them for allowing me to spend time with them. All of the team members wished me well in the rest of my time here and with the rest of my life as well. It was kind of hard to say good-bye to the team because I think I have had my best two weeks her while I was with them. When I returned to the house, I realized how good God is and how I trusted Him to heal me so I could enjoy today. I then was so tired that I said some night time prayers and went to bed.

July 16th 2008

I did not have a good night sleep and woke up in the middle of the night. So when my alarm went of at eight, I did not want to get out of bed. However, I did get out of bed and went downstairs for breakfast. Once again, there was no hot or cold water so I just had a piece of bread. Then I came back upstairs to lie in bed for awhile. Next, it was time for me to get ready for my day that started with my class at the language school. Before I knew it, I was off to the language school. Today, I noticed that my throat feels a little bit better, but I still have a tickling, scratchy feeling that makes me cough. I made it to the language school without a problem. The culture class was great. We learned about different believes and values which helped me to understand some of the behaviors I have seen. Also, we looked at the ways that we interpret things which also helped me to see why I think some things are wrong. Before and after the cultural class I was able to talk to some of the missionaries who are students at the school. Beforehand we talked about how my work was going and then I found how they were doing in this culture and also what they were doing in their classes. After the class, I was able to talk with another missionary about special ordering some things to take home with me. I will be going to her shop next week to pick out my gifts and just to be able to see the shop. Then I got the computer monitor from Susana to take to Larry’s apartment. The same missionary who I talked with about gifts helped me out of the language school and then to catch a taxi to go to Larry’s apartment with the monitor. I also did not have any problems with getting to Larry’s even though the driver did not know where it was. I was able to give him directions and negotiate a price before going. Luckily, as I arrived to Larry’s some people were moving out so the gate was open so I could walk right in. When I got to Larry’s, I put the computer monitor down and then exchange some money to get small bills for my public transportation rides. Then Larry and I went out to lunch at an Italian restaurant. I had this penne dish which is the closest thing I could get to baked ziti. Over lunch, Larry and I had a good conversation about God stretching us. Also, to the fact that this is a learning and growing experience for me and that I am learning from the prayer of serenity to take one day at a time. After lunch, I caught and truffi back to the house to relax for awhile. While relaxing, I took some time to reflect and use the internet. In reflecting, I realized that I have been speaking another language and taking public transportation for two months. Also, I have not been able to cook for myself or do my own laundry in two months. Another realization is that I have not been able to drive for two months as well. The last realization I had is that I will be home in exactly one month to the day; God willing. One thing that I forgot to mention when I was talking to Susana was that Lucas’ cast should come off next week. When I used the internet, I found out that Curt did send me his information and uploaded some more photos to my blog. I spent most of the afternoon using the internet and then I did my evening devotional. Also, before I left for worship practice I had dinner. For dinner I had this mixture of pasta, beef, peas and carrots. I thought I made good timing to get to practice, but the location was changed and luckily Father Walter was there to help me. Then I called Shawnee so I could speak in English and understand what had happen and then she came to pick me up and take me with my guitar to the right place for practice. When I was riding with Shawnee, we talked about cultural differences. It surprised me that even though I thought I was late for practice I was actually on time. Practice went well and I think that I am really starting to get a hang on playing most of the songs. However, for some reason all afternoon and evening I had problems with my stomach and was not feeling well at all. After practice, another missionary named Andrea gave me a ride home. Upon returning home, since I did not feel well, I showered, said some night time prayers, and went to bed. I made sure to pray that I would feel better for tomorrow since I get to be a tourist for the day with the team from Holy Cross.

July 15th 2008

For some reason, even though I was tired last night I still woke up with my alarm this morning. I immediately went downstairs to have breakfast, but since there was no hot or cold water, I just had a piece of bread for breakfast. After breakfast, I came back upstairs to go back to sleep for awhile, but could not because one of the children kept screaming. So I got up a little bit earlier than planned. I took a shower and then got ready for my day. I also made it a point to call Larry to discuss some things since I did not see him last night when I thought that I would. Before calling Larry, I did my morning devotional and made a list of things I wanted to talk about. The first time I called Larry, I had the wrong number. When I did get through to Larry, he was taking care of paying Susana for July and said he would call me back later. Larry did call me back, but I did not get to talk about everything that I wanted to. That means that once again I am unsure of plans. Overall, the conversation did not go as well as I expected it to. He sounded disappointed that I did not go to Casa de Nazeret yesterday. I felt that yesterday that God was telling me to rest and to let myself recuperate especially since I was not feeling well. However, we did make plans to have our weekly meeting tomorrow. Before I knew it, it was time for me to head out to the boy’s home. As I left, I prayed that the rest of my day would be better than my morning was. I arrived at the boy’s home right on time and all the boys were so happy to see me. Most of them came up and gave me a hug or wanted to shake my hand. Some of the nine and under boys came and showed me their first place medals they had won in the soccer tournament. It was not long until I was eating lunch with the boys. For lunch I had beef with rice and a potato. Then Tom had a talk with all the volunteers to let us know that some the boys have some problems that we should be aware of. Then the boys did their chores and then it was time for homework. For a little bit of the homework, I spent with another missionary working on a Frisbee tournament that will start on Thursday. Then I went down to help the boys with their homework and I mostly worked with mathematics today. I help with long addition problems and order of operations as well. I also had a good talk with Tom and he told me that it was okay that my schedule was crazy this week and that I should come when I can and that there is enough volunteers this week. After the homework time and the boys had their snack, some of us went out to play soccer. It was the adult volunteers versus the boys. On the way to the park, I walked with two boys and both of them wanted to hold my hand all the way there. The boys played very well; however, the adult team still won by one goal in the last couple of minutes. After returning to the boy’s home, I took a few minutes to relax before leaving to head up to the guest house for dinner. As I arrived at the guest house, other missionaries were arriving as well so they let me in. I then went around the house talking with different people from the team because they were interested in my day and I was interested in what they did. I also had another talk with Larry. This one went much better than the first one. I was able to talk about my day and about the other things that were not covered in the first conversation this morning. Next, I talked with another missionary there to be able to get some time to talk with them before they head back to England. We arranged that I would come to youth group early this Friday and we could have our meeting. It was then time for dinner in which Betty cooked roast beef with mashed potatoes, a high protein Bolivian grain, and a salad. She also made flan for dessert which all the food was very good. During dinner, the travel agent called the team and wanted to know if she could have half of the money for the day trip, so I had to make a decision on whether or not I was going so they could give a head count. It was nice that during the decision making the whole group said that they wanted me to go with them. I decided that I would go with the team to have my last day with them on Thursday before they leave on Friday. After cleaning up from dinner, I headed back to Larry and Betty’s and then caught a truffi home. Upon returning to the house, I asked Susana a question that Larry had asked me to do and talked with her for awhile. Then I felt tired from the day so I showered, did my night time devotion, and went to bed.

July 14th 2008

When I went to bed last night, I thought that I would sleep until my alarm went off the next morning. However, I was wrong because I woke up an hour before my alarm went off. I got up for a while and then dozed on and off until my alarm finally did go off at eight. Next, I went downstairs to have a piece of bread and a cup of tea for breakfast. I had the tea because I noticed I had a little bit of a sore throat when I woke up this morning and I thought the cup of tea would help. Then I returned to my room in which I went back to bed and was able to sleep for about an hour or so and then I got back up. After getting up, I was able to do my morning devotion for the first time in awhile and it felt great. Even though my devotion felt great my throat felt worse. Upon completing my morning devotional, I tried to make a phone call to reconnect with the boy’s home for this week, but my phone gave me several problems. However, I was finally able to get through and found out the person I needed to talk to was not there and would not return until one. So I think that I will not be working at the boy’s home today, but will probably return tomorrow and Thursday. I am kind of disappointing that I do not get to see the boys again today, but I think with a sore throat and me being able to go back to bed for once and actually sleep; God is telling me to rest and relax. It looks like the only running I will be doing today is up to the guest house for dinner and to enjoy some more time with the team from Holy Cross in their last week here in Cochabamba. I finally got ready for my day and whatever it has in store for me and then I used the internet since I did not use a lot last week. While using the internet, I found out that when I will come back that I have been asked to lead a devotional for a retreat that I will be going on. So I have started to think about what I would like to say and what God’s message would be for these people. Before lunch, I was able to do my noon time devotional for the first time in a long time. This also felt great to do. For lunch I had chicken noodle soup with vegetables and chunks of beef in it as well. I also had a glass of lemonade. During lunch, I was able to talk to Adelina about my day yesterday and she told me how to make the cake that was pictured on the placement. I think the soup was something that my throat needed and I am praying that it will get better. After lunch, I returned to my room to continue to use the internet to update my blog since I had very little time last week to put up pictures. I took a break from working on my blog to make the phone call I needed to. I found out the schedule of the boys and so I will be going there on Tuesday and Thursday of this week. I was also told to come when I could and they were looking forward to seeing me again. This is really good and makes me feel wonderful and that God is really using me here to give encouragement and teaching me how I can truly serve him. The rest of the afternoon I spent working on updating my blog with all the pictures I have taken from the past two weeks. Even though I did not do much today, the day went by quickly. Also, I noticed that it was not difficult for me to be still and not do anything today. In the beginning of this trip, when I was still and quiet it was difficult. I felt a spiritual attack in which I would think about how I could not wait to go home and most of the time start to tear up. Before I knew it, it was time for me to leave to go have dinner with the team. I thought I had left and gave myself plenty of time to get there. However, all the truffis seemed to be full so it took me longer than expected to get there. When I finally did get there I had tuna fish salad and macaroni and cheese. Also, I had an apple crisp with raisins for dessert. Then there were plans to go to a movie, but the team was waiting for a travel agent to stop by to look for an overnight or daytrip this week. The travel agent did come by until late in the evening so the plans to go to the movies were moved until tomorrow night. It was neat because I was invited on the trip with them, but I said I would like to but I needed to talk to Larry first. However, I stayed at the house talking with different team members about the recap of last, mission trips, and life in general. These conversations were a lot of fun. It was late when I decided that I needed to head home so I went to call a taxi. However, I dialed the wrong number the first time and then could not get through the next couple of times with another number. I tried one last time and was finally able to get through. Upon returning to the house I went straight to bed because it was late and I was tired.