August 10th 2008

For one of the few times I can remember, I slept until my alarm went off at nine. However, it took me awhile to get out of be because I did not want to. I did get up while the sun brightly shinned in my room. Then I went downstairs to have breakfast and when I got there I was greeted by Susana, Luigi, and Lucas. For breakfast I had my usual piece of bread and two glasses of water. During breakfast, Susana talked with Lucas about the election today. Also, we all talked a little bit about sports such as golf and baseball. After breakfast, Susana told me that since water leaked from my bathroom yesterday that everything was bad in there and not to use it. She said that I could use hers or the one that is downstairs. Next, I came back up to my room to try and go back to bed since I just want to relax today. I was not able to sleep, but I thought about all the experiences I have had and about things I would like to do or need to do before I leave. When I got up again, I got ready for my day and then decided to fill out as much as the volunteer form that I could and planned to complete it on Monday with the help of Tom when I go to the boy’s home. It was then my desire to read my book for awhile. Doing the volunteer information sheet and reading my book took me until it was time for lunch. Before lunch I was also able to do my noon time devotion. For lunch I had steak with rice, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, and a potato. At lunch Susana told me that she had made this drink that was mandarinia juice with lemon soda and wanted me to try it. So I tried it and thought that it was actually pretty good. After lunch I typed up my retreat devotion that I did yesterday and then typed up an email to send later this evening. While typing this email, Larry called me to let me know that he tried to send me and email and it said that my box was full so I told him I will deal with this problem later tonight when I use the internet. Next, I went back to reading my book since I am enjoying it so much and think that God is speaking to me through it. When I took a break from reading, I started thinking about the different things that I have learned since I have been in Cochabamba. One lesson is from the sermon yesterday given by Deacon Tammy about that nothing can tear us away from the love of God. Another lesson that I learned is not to be so self-focused. Every time I encounter a Bolivian or a person that has lived in a collectivistic culture; they always take time to ask me how I am doing. It is also important to take time to express your feelings in every situation. As I have mentioned the sense of touch and affection here is completely different in a Bolivian culture than in America. Another incident that hit me yesterday was the fact that two people told me that there cell phones were stolen from them. However, when they talked to me about it; it seemed like it is a part of life for them. I have come to the realization that I have learned many lessons her in Cocabamba and since I seem to be getting new insights everyday; I am sure that God has more lessons for me to learn from this experience when I return to the United States. Another insight that I have has is that when I talk with someone in Cochabamba I normally have their total attention, and they do not get distracted or they will ask the other person to wait until they are done speaking with me. When I thought my mind was done processing all the experiences I have had; I did my evening devotion. Next, I read until dinner time. For dinner I had a fried egg, cooked tomatoes and onions, and a potato. At dinner Susana told me that Evo won the election. We also talked about how people are scared to come to Bolivia because of Evo. I also found out from Susana that she thought there would not be any problems tomorrow which is good and means I can go out and do what I want to. Upon returning to my room after dinner I decide to go back to reading. As I got tired of reading, I decided to call it a night. So I got ready for bed, did my night time devotion, and went to bed.