Celebrating the Miracle of the Incarnation

As it does every year, Christmas has come and gone. It has been a very special season here in San Miguel.

I spent the weekend before Christmas with my friend Rachael (from B.C.) up in Llojeta (another part of La Paz). She had planned a gingerbread house party with her youth group, and we spent the weekend watching a seven hour movie (Little Dorrit), baking and cutting up gingerbread, doing other things in preparation for the party, and hosting the actual party.

At the party I met a girl who had taken sign language courses here in La Paz, and she was able to give me the name of an institute that offers these courses. I was surprised, because I had been told that there was only courses in the cities of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. It also appears that signs in La Paz are slightly different from the signs used in the rest of the country. I believe God may want me to work with the deaf in La Paz, and it would probably be a good idea to take the courses offered here (vs. elsewhere).

For Christmas Eve and Christmas day, it was very special to have Rachael and Janelle (two Canadian girlfriends) with us, since my three brothers are in Canada with our relatives for the holidays. My poor dad was the only man in a house of five women! Last year my mom had a really rough Christmas, so this year I determined to take over a lot of the preparatives and give her a break. I had a lot of fun making my first Christmas dinner!

On Boxing Day (the 26th, for all my American friends), my dad, mom, Mario (a Bolivian Christian who sometimes does ministry with my mom at the prison), Rachael, Janelle and I went to Chonchocoro--a maximum security prison about an hours drive outside of La Paz. We sang Christmas carols (among other songs) and gave out Christmas bread and hot chocolate. My dad also shared a brief message, and we had time to visit with some of the interns. It was a special opportunity to share God's love with people who have experienced a lot of rejection and who don't often get a lot of visitors from the outside world.

A belated merry Christmas to you all! And as each of us heads into a new year, my desire is that God would root and establish us in His love (Ephesians 3:17-18), that we would be filled with inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8), and that God’s peace, which surpasses human understanding, would guard our hearts (Philippians 4:7)!

With love and appreciation for you all!

Celina

Quiero entregarte mis sueños...

PICTURE: Thought some of you might like to picture where I'm living right now...Here's a picture of my current home (my mom is standing on the corner). My parents rent the bright and sunny apartment on the top floor. It's located in the "Zona Sur" (The part of La Paz located lower down in the valley. Thus the climate is VERY pleasant, and it's an area where many diplomats and the more wealthy Bolivians choose to live.) I have to confess I feel a little like "a fish out of water" living surrounded by such affluence and people belonging to the "upper-class"! It's definitely a completely different world from the poor forgotten little city of Potosi where I grew up.

TITLE: I've titled this blog entry: "Quiero entregarte mis sueños" ("I want to give You my dreams"). Let me explain. Last week I started getting up early each day and walking up to "La Casa de Oración" ("The House of Prayer" A place at my sister's church designated specifically for prayer and which is open from 6 am to 10 pm every day). I find it's a wonderful place to meet with and spend time with God each morning away from all the distractions I have at home. The other day a song by one of my favourite Christian singers (Jesús Adrian Romero) was played while I was at "La Casa de Oración." The first line says, "Quiero entregarte mis sueños..." God spoke to me through that song confirming a message I have been receiving from multiple sources. During my time at the deaf centre, I went through the study "Experiencing God" by Blackaby where I learnt that God wants us to join HIM in what HE'S doing. This past week I have been spending a lot of time over at the Benavides (family friends) home helping the son work on a translation of his father's book into English. There is a part in Uncle Yecid's book where he talks about no longer asking God for what "I want" but seeking His heart and what He wants--His desires, dreams and plans.

I really feel like this is a time to rest, recharge and wait on the Lord. Please be praying with me that I would be sensitive to God's voice and calling, and that He would give me clear guidance on what HE WANTS for me in 2010.

What's Next?

In my last blog I was going to share my plans for next year, but I put it off for this week.

As I get older, the more and more I realize that we cannot know the future. Our plans and speculations fall far short of the materialized future. In a world full of surprises, it is a comfort to know that our futures are in God's hands. I am a planner--big time! I continually need to learn to "let go" and "let God".

Right now my future is a big blank. I have no commitments and no concrete plans. As I spend this time in La Paz with my family, I want to seek the Lord and wait on Him to guide my steps.

Though I have no concrete plans, let me share what I am tentatively thinking...

I just got back from a week spent in Potosi with my dad where I was able to renew my Bolivian driver's license and catch up with lots of old friends. I hope to stay in La Paz for the month of December. During this time I hope to serve and be a blessing to my family and friends and get my batteries recharged for whatever comes next. In January I would like to do some traveling around Bolivia and see some friends I have not yet been able to see. By February I hope to have made some decisions and be settling down to something. I am considering taking some courses and becoming a certified sign language interpreter. There are some courses in Cochabamba that would take me several months. There are also intensive week long courses I could take that would not require me to actually move to Cochabamba (which my sister Elisa really doesn't want).

Another option I have begun to consider is to study gastronomy here in La Paz (I could do this and also take the intensive sign language courses). I do not regret having gotten my degree in Bible and Theology, but it would be nice to have a degree that is a little more practical and useful in terms of secular employment. Studies in gastronomy would also be very helpful if God were to allow my dreams of starting bakeries/cafes/restaurants to materialize down the road. My dream is to start small businesses and generate employment for deaf individuals.

Deaf Friends

During my time in Potosi, it was special to reconnect with some of my deaf friends. Wilma (in the first picture) is a deaf teacher who works at the deaf institute in Potosi (where I volunteered for many years). She came to know Christ through a Bible study we did together in her home.

My deaf friend Paty and her deaf husband, Jairo, are the couple in the second picture. Jairo is from the city of Tarija (southern Bolivia) where he and Paty are now living. They happened to be visiting Potosi, and it was special for me to see Paty and meet her husband (they are newly married).

Blessings

-A safe trip to and from Potosi (This in spite of the fact that I did some of the driving! Bolivian highways have only two lanes, and if you get stuck behind a slow moving vehicle and want to pass, it can be quite the hair raising experience!)

-Getting to see and reconnect with old friends in Potosi.

-The whole process of renewing my license went smoothly (doing any sort of paperwork in Bolivia can be quite the ordeal sometimes!)

Prayer Requests

-Wilma's continued spiritual growth.

-Paty and Jairo's spiritual salvation.

-Clear guidance for next year.

No Place Like Home!

Last week I ended my time at the centre, and my parents and Elisa were able to help transport me and my stuff to their apartment in La Paz. It has been wonderful to be with my family, and I feel like God brought me home at this time to be a support to my parents. My dad was swamped with work, and put me to work as his "secretary" preparing some outlines for a series on Romans he is doing this week, working on power point presentations, and grading his seminary students' exams. My mom is especially stressed right now with her sister in a coma back in Canada and really serious problems in the prison where she does ministry. I think she has enjoyed having a listening ear and someone who can prepare meals when she is away for the day at the prison.

This past weekend my dad and I made the 7-8 hour trip to Potosi (the city where I grew up). We are spending the week here. My dad is giving a series on the book of Romans. I am renewing my Bolivian driver's license and catching up with old friends.

I cannot come back to Potosi without feeling a lot of nostalgia! I always love being at home in our little apartment, tucked away in the corner of a plaza in the middle of downtown. The orange building on the right (in the above picture) is the Christian bookstore, and our apartment is on the second floor.

BLESSINGS:
-Time with family.
-A safe trip to Potosi.
-Getting to see and spend time with old friends.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
-Please pray that God would restore peace to the Prison of Chonchocoro where my mom does ministry and pray that my mom would rest in the Lord during this stressful time. There has already been some bloodshed and there is talk of more.
-Please pray for my Auntie Jewel who has had a stroke and is now in a coma.
-Last week I meant to mention the opportunity I had to share the gospel with the sister of one of my girls at the centre (Marianela's sister, Anaelia). She seems to be disillusioned with the Catholic church and seeking. She has been getting together with Jehovah Witnesses. Please pray that she would not be deceived by the enemy and that the seed, which was planted would bear fruit in her life and that Anaelia would come to have a personal relationship with Jesus.
-Please pray for clear guidance for next year.

Birthdays n' Goodbyes

So much has happened in the last week, it is hard to process!!! Last Tuesday was Jhesica's 11th birthday. I went into Quillacollo and managed to find a cake with red (Jhesica's favourite colour) icing! It was quite the ordeal carrying a cake on the crowded "mini bus" (more like a van). I was praying the whole way that I would get the cake safely to the centre! Thankfully I got away with only a small bit of icing being brushed off by the lady next to me.

In the afternoon there was much excitement as we set the table and brought out the cake, coke (a favourite drink with the girls), and "rollo de queso" (a kind of cheese roll). We enjoyed our birthday "feast," and, most importantly of all, Jhesica seemed very happy! (Can you tell by the smile on her face in the first picture?)

On Saturday we had the closing ceremony where there were awards given and everything was wrapped up for the school year. The centre was a busy place with parents arriving for the ceremony and then preparing to take their children home. Of the girls, Jhesica was the only one to leave that day with her family.

Sunday was a cold rainy day, so the girls spent the day indoors, and I started working on my packing after our Sunday morning meeting.

On Monday my parents and sister, Elisa, arrived from La Paz around midday. We took the three orphans (Anahi, Manuela, and Sonia) as well as Mercedes into town to Burger King. We were celebrating Sonia's 17th birthday. It was quite the experience! Sonia didn't even seem to know how to eat a burger or an ice cream cone. I ended up juggling a melting ice cream cone (which I was trying to feed Sonia), napkins (to wipe away the ice cream that kept getting on her face), and toilet paper (to wipe her runny nose). What a mess! Then there was Manuela, sitting on my other side, barely able to eat her burger because of laughing so hard! She always laughs when she is extremely happy!

From Burger King we took the girls back to the centre and picked up my stuff. Then it was time to say some heartbreaking goodbyes. There was tears and there was a lot of bawling on Manuela's part. It was heart-wrenching to hear Manuela's wails as I headed out the door. It was overcast and raining, adding to the melancholy of the moment. As we drove away, I lifted up Manuela in prayer, asking God to somehow put His arms around her and comfort her.

BLESSINGS:

-God answered my prayers and my time at the centre ended well.

-Special birthday celebrations!

-My parents and sister were able and willing to come and help me pick up my stuff!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

-That God would be comforting the girls--especially Manuela and Sonia who have no family and will be staying at the centre for the whole summer vacation (remember we are in the southern hemisphere!)

-That I would be using my time wisely.

-For clear guidance for plans for next year (more on that in my next blog entry).

Check out the Centre

I thought it was about time I put up some pictures of the actual centre, so you all can picture where it is I have been living for the last few months. I was just showing these pictures to some friends this past weekend, and they were surprised at how nice the centre seems. Although it' s true that we have beautiful large grounds, etc., pictures can be deceiving, and sadly on closer inspection things are very run down and dirty.

Picture # 1: The entrance to the "Centro Cristiano Para Sordos" (The Christian Centre for the Deaf).
Picture # 2: A picture of the dining hall. The palm tree reminds me that I am living in a semi-tropical location.
Picture # 3: Looking out from the dining hall towards the class rooms (building far left), the offices (straight ahead), and another random building (on the right).
Picture # 4: The girls' dorm building and the park.
Picture # 5: The common area inside the dorm. This is a typical picture of what it looks like in the afternoons. Anahi is sitting on the couch knitting and talking to Mercedes. Manuela is sitting in the armchair grinning. Jhesica is walking around with the cat from upstairs, "Dukesa," and Irlanda, Marianela, and Melvi are at the table working on homework.

The Final Stretch

It's hard to believe that by this time next week my time at the centre should be over. Things are picking up speed as the end draws near. Today is Jhesica's 11th birthday, and I plan on going into Quillacollo to buy her a cake for a little tea party this afternoon, which will be a nice break from all the busyness of homework and exams.

On Saturday we have the closing ceremony and parents will be coming to pick up their children and get a report on this past year.

Blessings:

-The girls are getting better from their colds and God has kept me healthy in the midst of all the sickness.
-A special weekend with friends in Cochabamba.
-E-mails and facebook messages from friends!
-Time is not dragging by as much.
-The girls from the lower grades have been doing well in their exams.

Prayer Requests:

-I have to teach the lesson at the Thursday evening meeting. Please pray that God would give me a lesson to share and that He would speak through me despite my limitations in sign language.
-Please pray for the love, joy, strength, patience, and wisdom to finish off my time well.
-Please pray for the girls in the higher grades who still have exams that they would be diligent in their studies, do well, and pass.

Meet Monica...

This week I have a temporary addition to my family. Monica is 18 years old. She lives in the nearby town of Quillacollo with her mom (I understand her parents are separated). At one point she lived at the centre, but because of lack of funds she had to go live with her mom. Monica is in seventh grade. The threesome I have previously mentioned is actually a foursome, with Monica being the fourth member. Every day she meets Irlanda, Melvi, Marianela, and their interpreter at the nearby public school they attend. She then joins us for lunch at the centre (which is how I know her), spends the afternoon doing homework with Cecilia (the interpreter), and then goes home. Monica's mom is away on a trip this week, so she is living temporarily in the dorm, and my family of nine girls has gone up to ten!

Because I haven't spent much time with Monica, I can't tell you a lot about her but that she is very sweet. She always greets me in the dining hall and then comes to give me a kiss goodbye before leaving.

Pleasant Plazas

In addition to a picture with Monica, I have included some other pictures. As I have free time in the mornings while the girls are in school, I have found different ways to keep myself busy. One feature I love about cities/towns in Latin America is the plazas. Several weeks ago, I discovered the nearby plaza here in Vinto. I love the walk to get there, which is along the train tracks (second picture). One of the aspects I love about this particular plaza (third picture) is that it is usually quite quiet with few people milling about, so I can always find an empty bench (fourth picture) on which to sit for a good while with a good book and chocolate (utter bliss!).

Blessings:

-Monica's life.

-Vinto's plaza.

-We just had a long weekend for all-saints day (Boliva is a Catholic country), and I had to work. On the Monday I was able to take the few girls who stayed for the weekend out for the day to my friend's grandma's house in the nearby town of Quillacollo. We had a very special day, and I think it did the girls good to be able to get away from the centre for a bit.

Prayer Requests:

-Please pray for the spiritual salvation of Monica's family and for extra grace for her with the pain of her parents separation, etc.

-I have less than two weeks left here at the centre. Please pray for extra grace, love, patience, and wisdom to finish off my time well.

-Please pray for the girls as they are entering exams to be able to finish off the school year well.

Meet Jhesica...

Last, but definitely not least, let me introduce Jhesica, the "baby" of our "family." Jhesica is 10 years old but will be turning 11 next month. Her favourite colour is red. She is from the city of Oruro (the capital of the department of Oruro) about three hours away from here. I previously said that Marianela was one of the only girls from a Christian family. I was mistaken. It turns out Marianela's family is not Christian. It is Jhesica who is the only girl with a Christian family. She is the oldest of three children, and her brother Max (8 years old) is also deaf and a student at the centre. Jhesica is in second grade and is quite bright. She picks things up very fast.

Because of living with all older girls in their teens, Jhesica often acts more like a teenager than the little girl she still is. The director of the centre thinks it is a good idea if Jhesica spends time with the girls who live upstairs, and that way she can have time to "be" and play like a little girl. It doesn't always work out, because Jhesica has a strong personality and so does one of the girls from upstairs, so that often results in clashes.

Jhesica is very strong-willed, and I have had some obedience issues, but for the most part she cooperates and tries to respect my authority. Sometimes, when I ask her to do something, she likes to salute like a soldier and then carry out my order. She also likes to serve me. She often doesn't allow me to wash my own dishes but takes them from me and washes them herself.

Jhesica loves to tease me. She sometimes will grab me by the arm and tell me, "Hurry, hurry! You have to go and meet with your boyfriend!" Both Irlanda and Jhesica have created an imaginary boyfriend for me, "David." David has his own sign name and everything. They love to tease me with him. Jhesica once saw a tv show where a woman had octuplets. For some reason she likes to tease me that I'm pregnant with octuplets (this despite the fact that, if anything, I have lost weight since coming here).

There is something about Jhesica that is very attractive and draws you to her. My mom came and spent a weekend with me, and I was interested to hear her make the same comment about Jhesica. It's hard to explain, but she is delightful to be around.

BLESSINGS:
-Jhesica's life!
-A weekend spent with my family in La Paz.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
-The director talked to me last week and said that the girls' grades have really gone down since I arrived (which really makes me look bad!) and some of the girls could be in danger of failing the year. Please pray that the girls would work hard, pick up their grades, and finish the school year well.
-Please pray that I would know how to be firm and keep better discipline in the dorm.
-Please continue praying that God would give me His eyes and His love for each girl.
-Please pray for joy to be my strength each day.

Meet Delia...

Delia is 13 years old going on 14 next month. Her favourite colour is pink, and she is in fourth grade. She and Luis, Mercedes' brother, go to a nearby public school with their interpreter, Juan. Her family is from a rural community in the department of Potosi, but they moved to Cochabamba in order to be closer to the deaf centre, so she often gets to go home on weekends. She has a younger brother who is also deaf and lives here in the boys' dorm. His name is Luis, and he is about 8 years old.

Delia is vivacious, intelligent, and full of energy. She is a lot of fun to be around! Deaf individuals often tend to have poor reading and writing skills, but I have been very impressed with Delia's writing abilities. She is obviously very bright! She is also a very loving and affectionate individual. Before she heads off to school, she always comes, puts her arms around me, and just stands their for a while. Then she steps back, lovingly tells me to take care of myself, and heads off to school.

BLESSINGS:

-Delia's life.

-My friends in Cochabamba who welcome me into their homes and are so good to me whenever I spend a weekend in "Coche."

-Eleanor's surgery went well! (See last week's prayer request)

PRAYER REQUESTS:

-Spiritual salvation of Delia's family, and Delia's own relationship with God.

-Eleanor's quick recovery from surgery, so she can once again be up and about.

-God's provision for a wall to be built up around one end of the property. (The centre has had problems with thieves breaking in, and it is also having problems with the community, which would like to take the property away from them.)

-Please pray that God would help me to live one day at a time, and that I would find joy in serving.

Meet Sonia...

Though she may not look it, Sonia is 16 going on 17 next month. She is very small for her age, and I think she has an impish looking face. Apart from her hearing loss, Sonia, like Manuela, also has a developmental disability. She has even less communication abilities than Manuela. She doesn't really communicate via proper sign language, but by hand motions she tries to communicate what she wants. She points and flaps her hands around. Extended arms means she wants a hug. She points to her face when she wants a kiss. Sonia has no family and lives here at the centre year round.

During the mornings, when all the other girls are at school and Manuela is helping out in the kitchen, Sonia simply wanders around the property. In the afternoons she often sits by herself in her room puttering around with her collections of "treasures" and making the little humming type sounds peculiar to her.

The girls consider Sonia is not capable of doing much, and one of her few chores is to carry out the garbage to the garbage dump at the end of the property. She often likes to go through the garbage and dig out "treasures," and by now she has quite a collection! When I threw out my old lip gloss and my old pen, the next time I saw Sonia, she was carrying them around as her newly found "treasures."

Sonia sometimes gets into mischief. One day she found and got into an old mascara. We found her sitting in her room with her face smudged black all around her eyes. She seems to have a fascination for painting her face with markers and such, and I have had to help her scrub her face clean more than once.

Sadly, I think a lot of people would look at Sonia as human trash. Sometimes the girls complain she doesn't smell good, are annoyed with her, or simply ignore her presence in the dorm. And yet I have to constantly remind myself that in the eyes of God she is very precious! I often pray that God would help me to see Jesus in her and that He would put His love for her in my heart.

PRAISE (Blessings):
-Sonia's life.
-God's grace towards me.
-On Sunday I had a blessing in the disguise of an upset stomache, which kept me in bed all day. The rest did me so much good!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
-That God would help me see Jesus in Sonia.
-I have been asked to take someone's place and teach the Bible lesson this Thursday. Please pray that God would give me a lesson to share and help me communicate it effectively, and that the hearts of the children would be receptive.
-Please pray for Eleanor (one of the founding missionaries who continues to work at the centre as the accountant). She is having surgery on her hip this Saturday. Pray for a successful surgery and a quick recovery.
-Please continue to pray for the economy of the centre, things are really tight right now.
-I am afraid I have been losing my focus lately and forgetting why I am here. Different situations have been highlighting how self-centred I really am. I have been getting wrapped up in what I want, and as a result I have been struggling with boredom and with depression. Please pray that God would help me to remember why I am here and to find joy in laying down my life and desires and serving the girls.
-Please pray that God would help me love Manuela and Sonia with His love. I stand convicted that my love for them is practically non-existent. Lately, in my selfishness, I am annoyed by them, brush them aside, and even ignore them. I find ways to entertain the other girls, but I often leave Manuela and Sonia to their own resources, and I rarely give them of myself (which is what I think they most want) and just sit with them, "listen" to them, etc. God, forgive me for my selfishness and lack of genuine love!

Meet Anahi...

Anahi is 17 years old. Her favourite colour is yellow. From what I understand, she was abandoned as a baby and is an orphan. Thus she lives here at the centre year-round. She has only been here for about a couple of years and is in second grade.

Because Anahi has no family to pay her tuition and room and board, she has to work. There is a family with four children, ranging from a one-year-old to an eleven-year-old, who live above the girls' dorm. The mother is the secretary here at the centre and also looks after the girls in the dorm whenever I have a weekend off. The father also works in some other capacity here at the centre (I'm not exactly sure what all he does). From Monday to Saturday, Anahi works for this family. As soon as she's done with lunch in the afternoons, she goes and does cleaning for them, washes their clothes, and helps take care of the four children. She often works till late into the evening, which means that any homework has to be done really late at night or very early in the morning.

Because Anahi works, I don't actually get to be around her very much. Her only day off is Sunday, and even then she often is busy washing her own clothes, which she didn't have time to wash during the week. I feel for her not being able to hang out and enjoy time with the rest of the girls. On the positive side, she is quite close to the family she works for, and I understand they sometimes take her with them on vacation during the summer holidays.

Anahi is a very sensitive person. She often seems to get her feelings hurt in the little time she does spend with the rest of us down in the dorm.

Anahi is also a very loving person. She is always coming up behind me and wrapping her arms around me. I can't imagine what it is like for her having her disability and on top of that lacking the love and support of a family. I imagine she is starving for love and physical affection.

RANDOM INFO. (about my life here): The other week I discovered that one of the girls' responsibilities is to keep the grass cut on our side of the property. Now that spring and the rains have arrived, the grass will be growing higher. Apart from aesthetic reasons, the grass needs to be kept short because of the danger of snakes. Apparently someone was once bit by a snake here and had to be taken to the hospital! If cutting grass is considered grueling work, cutting grass here at the centre is more than twice as grueling. There is no lawn mower, and we use hoes and machetes. With the girls we spent a couple of afternoons clearing the grass on one side of the dorm building. I wanted to give the girls an example of working hard with a positive attitude, so I went out there with them. As the girls hacked away at the grass with machetes, the two girls with developmental disabilities and I went around stuffing rice sacks with cut grass along with garbage and dried up dog excrement (I made sure to go and put on some rubber gloves!). Then we would lug the sacks to the end of the property where all the garbage is dumped. As we went back and forth, I would make the best of each trip and would carry the sack in one hand and a brick (there were some old bricks lying around that need to be thrown out) in the other hand. Soon I saw Manuela and Sonia (the two girls with developmental disabilities) coming down the road with a sack in one hand and a brick in the other (the power of example!)

PRAISE (Blessings):

-Anahi's life.

-My mom's visit this past weekend. I have been at the centre for two months now, and she was my first visitor! It was so special to have her here and for her to get to know the girls--they loved her!

-The arrival of the rains! Having grown up with serious water shortages, I know the importance of rain! I also love the sound and smell of it!!!

-Thunderstorms! It maybe sounds strange, but I LOVE thunderstorms!!! They give me a thrill and make me think of the awesomeness of God's power!!!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

-Apparently discipline and grades have gone down the last little while (it would seem since I arrived), so I need to start cracking down on the girls and be a little more strict. Please pray that I would learn how to be strict and firm in a loving way.

-I have been really struggling with my own selfishness. Please pray that I would not be controlled by my selfish feelings but by God's Spirit.

-Please pray that I would do everything out of a genuine love for the girls. I am constantly convicted by 1 Corinthians 13. All my sacrifice and service here is worthless if I don't do it out of a genuine love for God and for the girls.

Meet Marianela...

Let me introduce the third member of the threesome I have mentioned previously. Marianela is 17 years old, is in seventh grade, and attends the nearby public school with Irlanda and Melvi. Her favourite colour is sky blue. She is from the the town of Montenegro, known for its sugar cane, which is located a couple of hours away in the department of Santa Cruz. She usually makes the trip home every weekend. I think she is the only girl here at the centre who comes from a Christian family. She has also been here at the centre longer than most of the girls and knows all the ropes around here.

I will always remember Marianela as the one who helped me out and made me feel at home when I first arrived at the centre. I arrived late in the evening on a Tuesday. The girls were all chopping up vegetables when I first arrived. I thought I should join them and help. Marianela told me not to worry about helping them and to go ahead and get settled in and go to sleep, as I was sure to be tired. The next day she was also extremely helpful in explaining how things were done, as I was completely lost.

Marianela likes to take care of me. She's always telling the other girls to respect and obey me. Whenever she notices I'm really tired, she tells me to go and get some rest. She also has a "take-charge" personality. For dinner we always eat leftovers from lunch (which is the main meal here in Bolivia). Marianela likes to be the one to serve up the food, and she is very good at dividing up the food evenly between the nine girls.

The girls here at the centre are typical girls and love to get dressed up and look pretty. Marianela is the exception. She doesn't seem to care much for skirts or dresses and seems happiest in sweat pants and a soccer shirt. Also, unlike the rest of the girls, she dislikes knitting and crocheting.

Marianela is a gifted communicater and often helps me out when I am having trouble understanding one of the girls. When I encounter a sign I am not familiar with, she is very good at giving me examples to help me understand the meaning of the sign.

RANDOM INFO. (about my life here): As many of you probably know, I tend to be quiet and reserved. One of the things I love about my nine girls is that they bring out my goofy and silly side. One of our private jokes is the "crab" joke. When the girls taught me the sign for "crab," I adapted it and acted it out really silly. I cracked the girls up, and since then they will often ask me to please sign "crab" and give them another good laugh.

PRAISE (Blessings):

-Marianela's life!

-A safe trip to and from Potosi.

-A special weekend spent in my hometown seeing old friends!

-God has provided the money so one of the founding missionaries who continues to work here at the centre can have her hip replaced.

-God speaking truth and comfort to my heart as I went through a very painful experience/situation here at the centre.

-Seeing God use the horrible situation here at the centre for good.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

-Please pray that God would continue to bring healing and restoration after the horrible situation that took place here at the centre.

-I have been struggling with feeling very bored with my life here at the centre. Please pray that God would take away the feelings of boredom and replace them with joy and fulfillment in serving Him here.

Meet Melvi...

Melvi is 18 years old and her favourite colour is pink. She, like Irlanda, forms part of the threesome that is in seventh grade and attends a nearby public school. These three girls (I have yet to introduce the third) are inseparable. In the mornings they are the first to leave for school, as they have the farthest to go. When they return at lunch time, they always sit at their own table in the corner separate from the rest of the girls. After lunch they go to one of the classrooms at the centre along with their interpreter, Cecilia, and they work on their homework for a couple of hours or so. When they return to the dorms, they often still have more homework to do.

Melvi is from a small community/town in the department of Cochabamba about two hours or so from here. She doesn't often get to go and see her family, but she spends a lot of weekends at her aunt and uncle's house, who leave in the nearby town of Quillacollo.

Communication is always a bit of struggle between Melvi and I. Her signing tends to be very fast and abrupt, and I find her very difficult to understand. Often another one of the girls will have to step in and repeat what Melvi has just told me.

I feel like I don't have a lot to say about Melvi. She is probably one of the girls I have gotten to know the least, partly because she isn't around a lot between homework and her going away on weekends. Our struggles communicating and her being a little more standoffish than the rest of the girls doesn't help either, but she is a sweet girl, and the girls' dorm would not be the same with out her!

RANDOM INFO. (about my life here): We have several lemon trees on the property here at the centre. One evening the girls got permission to pick a bunch of lemons and take them to the dorm. These lemons are very interesting, because they look rather like oranges but taste like lemons! Life at the centre can be rather sad and bleak, and at the end of an ordinary drab day, we had a lemon party! It was amazing how something simple like a bunch of freshly picked lemons brightened up our day! We had so much fun eating lemons (with puckered faces) and making lemonade. It brought to mind the old saying: "When life gives you lemons--make lemonade!"

THANKSGIVING (Blessings):
-Melvi's life.
-God's grace and forgiveness in my life.
-Lemons!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
-Melvi's spiritual life (only God knows her heart, and if she has a genuine relationship with Him)
-The spiritual salvation of Melvi's family.
-I will be teaching the Bible lesson for the first time at the Thursday night meeting this week. Please pray that God would help me to communicate effectively, that I would put into practice and be an example of the lesson (I am teaching a lesson on love), and that the Holy Spirit would speak to the children through the lesson.
-Safety as I travel to Potosi (the city where I grew up) and back this next weekend (there have been a lot of bus accidents lately--like the one Irlanda's dad died in). I may also be taking Irlanda with me, so she can see her family.

Meet Irlanda...

I have been trying to introduce the girls going from the oldest to the youngest. Irlanda is not next in line to be introduced, but I have a reason for introducing her this week, and I will explain shortly.

Irlanda is 15 years old. Her favourite colour is purple, and she forms part of the threesome who are in seventh grade and attend a public school with their interpreter Cecilia. Irlanda is very intelligent and hard working. For the 6th of August (Bolivian independence day), she got to march with her class because of her good grades. Her dream is to be a teacher one day. To fulfill such a dream, she faces some practically insurmountable challenges--her deafness and a poor educational system, which at best offers her a poor education through highschool and then no options as far as post-secondary school.

Irlanda is from Potosi, the city where I grew up. She and I actually knew each other years ago when I would volunteer two afternoons a week at a deaf institute. Occasionally I would take my sister Elisa with me to the institute, and I remember Irlanda and Elisa playing together.

Not long before I left Bolivia there was a guy, Pablo, who started up a deaf ministry at his Baptist church. I was so excited, because there had been no deaf ministry in Potosi previous to that. A group of the students I knew from the institute started going to the Baptist church with Pablo, and among those students was Irlanda. I remember visiting the church and seeing how excited she was about church and learning about God, etc. All these years later, I can really see God still working in her life, and I am quite confident that she has been born again.

Let me share a story from the other week. It was a school day, and I was calling the girls to breakfast. I couldn't believe it when I found Irlanda was in the shower--she was supposed to be at the gate meeting her interpreter to go to school in about 15-20 minutes! She ended up not having enough time to sit down and eat breakfast. She gulped down her drink, and came to give me my goodbye hug. I was frustrated with her for not showering earlier, and I am ashamed to say I showed my frustration and hugged her rather coldly. At lunch time, I went to ask her to please forgive me. She would not acknowledge anything had happened that morning, but that day and the next I felt she had distanced herself from me. She would not make eye contact with me and seemed to avoid me. I felt horrible! Usually Irlanda and I are very close, and she is always giving me big bear hugs.

The following evening, I was sitting in the common area watching the news on television. (The girls like me to watch the news and explain to them what is going on in the country. Right now there is a lot of news on who the candidates are going to be in the national elections in December.) Suddenly Irlanda came up to me. She told me she had been angry at me for what had happened the previous morning, and she asked me to forgive her. In turn, I asked her to forgive me, and we gave each other a BIG hug!!! I was SOOO happy and grateful to God for restoring our relationship!!! It also made me happy to see signs of the Holy Spirit working in Irlanda's heart.

Now I come to the reason why I chose to introduce Irlanda this week. Last Thursday night Irlanda's uncle showed up at the centre. He came with the news that her dad had been in a terrible bus accident and could possibly die. He rushed her off with him to Potosi. Later I found out her dad actually died in that accident. Please pray for Irlanda right now!!! Apparently she was very close to her dad. She was the only girl with two brothers, and she was the apple of her dad's eye. Please pray that her faith would not be shaken and that she would find strength and comfort in God. I understand she arrived back from Potosi this morning (I think she was taken straight to school, so I didn't get to see her).

RANDOM INFO. (about my life here): Every Tuesday the secretary of the centre buys the vegetables for the week. The vegetables are then divided up between the boys' dorm and the girls' dorm. We then chop up vegetables till our hands are stained green! One thing I never thought of before, but chopping vegetables is not an activity condusive to conversation when you rely solely on sign language! You are using your hands to chop, and you kind of need to keep your eyes on the knife or you might end up chopping a finger!

PRAISE (Blessings):
-Irlanda's life and God's work in her life.
-A three day weekend spent in La Paz!
-Getting to see Rachael and to talk till past 3 am!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
-Comfort and strength for Irlanda as she grieves the loss of her father.
-For the spiritual salvation of Irlanda's other family members.
-That God would provide for the needs of the centre, which is really struggling financially right now.
-For the health of little Priscilla (the almost one-year-old of a couple who works at the centre. Priscilla was in the clinic for the past few days very sick with vomiting, etc. She is home and doing better, but please pray that she would continue to get her health back.)

Meet Mercedes...

Mercedes is 19 years old. She comes from a large family of seven children who live in a small rural community in the department (instead of provinces or states, Bolivia is made up of 9 "departamentos") of La Paz. Her brother Luis, 15 years old, is also deaf and lives at the centre in the boys' dorm.

The centre offers classes to kindergarten through grade five. Grades four through eight attend nearby regular public schools with interpreters. After grade eight there is nothing for the students here at the centre. Though she is 19, Mercedes is in grade three and attends classes at the centre. Most of the girls, though they are in their teens, are still in elementary school. For some this is due to the fact that they were put in school a lot later in life. You also need to take into account that these girls are studying in a "foreign" language (learning to read and write in Spanish is a challenge, because they have never heard it spoken!) and sometimes it may take them more than a year to get through a grade.

Mercedes does not find learning easy. It takes her a while to process new information. I think God wants to use her to teach me patience. Only yesterday her eyes filled with tears as I impatiently tried to explain a math concept to her for the third or fourth time. Later on I had to go back and ask her to forgive me for my impatience!

Mercedes may find learning hard, but she posseses other talents. Mercedes' favourite colour is white, and she loves to crochet! In the above picture you can see her working on a beautiful off-white "poncho." My aunt sent me some money to spend on the girls, and with it I was able to get them wool, knitting needles, and crochet hooks. The girls were all quite excited, and Mercedes especially has proved to be very good at crocheting! She is also very good with hair and doing braids. The other girls are always getting her to do their hair for them.

With Mercedes I have been reminded how wrong it is to judge people! One day I was playing a game of yengha with Mercedes and Jhesica (one of the other girls), and Jhesica and I determined that the punishment for losing would be to run back and forth through the dorms five times. I was quite disgusted when Mercedes lost a game and refused to run. I thought she was just being overly prim and proper. Then, when she refused to go to her physical education class I thought she was lazy and disliked physical exertion. Well, later on I discovered that a few months ago she had surgery on her leg and isn't allowed to run or take physical education! I felt very bad! I also didn't understand why she would always cling to my arm whenever we would go somewhere at night. Just recently I was told that she has weak eyesight and cannot see very well at night!

RANDOM INFO. (about my life here): The other day I saw a piece of mud on my bathroom floor. I thought it kind of looked like a small frog, and when I stooped to pick it up, it moved and made me jump back! It turned out it was a frog! I trapped it with a clear plastic cup, slid a paper underneath and took it to show the girls before letting it loose outside. The only way I can think it could have gotten into my bathroom is by coming up the drain!

THANKSGIVING (Blessings):
-Mercedes life.
-The beauties of nature that surround me (e.g. the beautiful surrounding mountains, the clear blue skies and sunny days, the moon and stars at night!)
-Breaks from the routine and monotony of my days (e.g. a trip into town to see the psychologist for a psychological assessment yesterday afternoon was a welcome break after working the whole weekend. It ended up being a bit of an adventure, because some of the roads were being blocked by protesters, and we had to go a round about way on this crazy dirt road through countryside that made Patty--a co-worker-- think of the wild west.)
-The lessons God is teaching me through the girls.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
-Spiritual salvation of Mercedes' family who are not believers.
-Mercedes' relationship/walk with God.
-That I would learn how to be a firm yet loving disciplinarian.
-For strength and wisdom in facing a complicated and disagreeable situation at the centre.

Meet Manuela...

I thought you all might enjoy getting to know some of the girls I work with. I want to try and feature one girl each week...we'll see how it goes.

Manuela is 44 years old. Not only is she deaf, but she also has a developmental disability, which gives her the sweetness and innocence of a child. Despite being half toothless, Manuela has the most beautiful smile, which lights up her whole face. She also has a real servant's heart. One day I found her in the kitchen washing the pots, a chore that belonged to one of the other girls.

Every morning, when the other girls head off to school, Manuela heads over to the kitchen where she helps the cook make lunch. In the afternoon, while the other girls are doing homework and such, Manuela often likes to keep herself occupied with her attempts at embroidery and knitting.

Manuela is really quite intelligent, and she understands when she is asked to do something. She is also able to communicate in sign language. I confess, to my shame, that at first I assumed she didn't know how to sign properly and assumed that her signs made no sense. As I have gotten to know her, I've begun to understand some of her signing. One of her favourite subjects is her teeth. She often points to them and asks us to take her to get them pulled, because of the terrible tooth aches she suffers from. The only problem is that if she gets them pulled, she will have no teeth left to eat with. As it is, she finds it hard to eat some food items. At breakfast the other girls are always considerate enough to find the softest bun for Manuela.

Manuela sometimes will talk about her "mom." Sadly Manuela has no family and lives here at the centre year-round.

At Thursday evening meetings and on Sunday mornings, the children usually take turns going up and leading a song. Sometimes Manuela is asked to go up. I love to see the love and joy that shine from her face as she shines: "Thank you Jesus!" I don't know how much she understands about God, but I believe she loves Him.

RANDOM INFO. (about my life here): It's very convenient living with deaf people when you have a sore throat! There's no need to tire my voice by speaking, because it's all signs! In fact, I didn't even realize I had gone hoarse last night until I got a call from my mom and I could barely talk!

THANKSGIVING (Blessings):
-Manuela's life.
-I got to see my dad briefly on Friday morning as he was speaking at a pastor's retreat in Cochabamba.
-This last weekend was my first weekend off, and I had a very special time going into the city and spending time with friends!
-Apart from a sore throat, I have been healthy!
-God is giving me joy and contentment!
-The girls are responding positively to my attempts to read the Bible together in the evenings after dinner.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
-That God's love would be very real in Manuela's life.
-That my life would be an example to the girls in everything I say and do.
-For lots of wisdom and patience in my role as a "mother."
-For continued joy and contentment.

A Day in My Life at Vinto

Thought you might like to have an idea of what my life here at Vinto looks like.

6:00 Alarm goes off. I go and turn the lights on in the two dorm rooms and tap Irlanda, Marianela, and Melvi (the three girls who go to another school and have to leave by 7:30) on the shoulder, telling them it's time to wake up.
6:10 I go back and make sure the three girls are getting up. Then I go for a quick jog.
6:45 I go and wake the rest of the girls up.
7:00 One of the girls goes and picks up our breakfast. (Every morning we get some sort of hot drink--e.g. hot milk with either rice, oatmeal, or some other grain floating in it--and a bun spread with a sort of thick caramel sauce) and all ten of us sit at the big table in our common area and eat breakfast.
7:30 Irlanda, Marianela, and Melvi hug me goodbye and head to school.
8:10 The rest of the girls head to school.
Then I have the rest of the mornings to myself to shower, spend some time with God, clean my room, wash clothes (I am actually learning to wash clothes by hand!), go to the office and use the internet, go into Quillacollo (the larger town between here and the city of Cochabamba) and do some shopping, etc.
12:30 I go to the dining hall where the girls all arrive from school, and we eat lunch.
13:00-19:00 (1 pm - 7 pm) We walk over to the dorms, work on homework, play out in the park, play games inside, and/or watch tv.
19:00 I choose two girls to walk over to the kitchen and pick up our dinner (which consists in the leftovers from lunch) We bring the food back to the dorms and eat together in the common area. After dinner I make sure the girls do all their chores (e.g. wash dishes, clean bathrooms, bedrooms, and the common area). After that they sometimes still have homework to do.
21:00 I am usually tired, I say goodnight to the girls and head to bed (All of a sudden I've acquired a taste for going to bed very early!)

THANKSGIVING (PRAISE):
-A safe trip to and from La Paz last week.
-Two special days spent with my family in La Paz.
-Experiencing God in new ways and finding comfort in His Word.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
-Wisdom to know how to deal with problems that come up in the dorms (e.g. disobedience and interpersonal problems between the girls)
-That God would remove the spirit of heaviness I have been struggling with and replace it with joy in Him.

I've Fallen In Love...

You know the feeling--when your heart beats with new life and all of a sudden the world seems wonderful and rose-coloured? The feeling you get when that special someone enters your life and your heart? Well, in my case, nine special someones have entered my heart--in these short two weeks I have fallen in love with my girls.

I would have to say the girls have wun me over with their love and their hugs! Early in the mornings, as they head out the door on their way to school, they always make sure to give me a big hug. Then, as they return from school at noon, they always make sure to give me another big hug! Finally, at night as we say goodnight, they are sure to give me one last hug--that makes for an average of 18 hugs a day! Aren't I blessed?

Last Wednesday was my 25th birthday. The actual day of my birthday was a fairly regular day with a few birthday calls and text messages. I was a little down and missing my family. That night, after I had gone to bed, I had a knock on my door. I went out to find three girls standing outside my door with these beautiful birthday cards they had made for me. They each gave me big hugs and presented me with their cards. As I read the cards, I was touched by all the love put into them!

On Thursday morning I came in to the office and checked my e-mail to find 63 messages in my inbox!!! I felt VERY blessed and loved. Thank you to all of you who remembered my special day! The following evening, following the meeting they have every Thursday night here at the centre, I was greatly touched by a birthday cake and lots of birthday hugs from all the boys and girls who live here! It ended up being a very special birthday!

THANKSGIVING (BLESSINGS):
-Hugs!
-A special birthday!
-People's prayers!
-God is helping me to live one day at a time.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
-That I would love each of the girls with a 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love (that I wouldn't just have a fuzzy feeling for them), and that God would especially help me to love those girls I find a little more difficult to love.
-For the girls' and my health (many of the girls have been a little sick, and I have been fighting a sore throat)
-For safety as I travel to La Paz tomorrow night to register to vote (I must say I'm excited to have this excuse to go and see my family for a couple of days!)

From None to Nine

From one day to the next, I went from being a single independent woman with no children, to being a "mom" responsible for nine girls!

A week ago Tuesday, my parents dropped me off here at the Christian Centre for the deaf. I was introduced to the girls, and at first I thought it would take me a while to remember not only their names but also their sign names! Thankfully, within a day I pretty much had figured out both!

It hasn't been a week yet, and I feel like I've already started to bond with the girls. They are all so sweet and loving. Of the nine girls, one of them is actually a 44 year old woman, but mentally she is still a child. The rest of the girls range from ages 10 to 19.

It is interesting being surrounded by sign language all the time! I feel bad, because I often have trouble understanding the girls and have to get them to repeat things or explain to me what it is they are trying to tell me. My sign language definitely should improve by staying here!!!

To be honest, this last week has been VERY rough!!! I never imagined it would be this hard. I have felt VERY homesick--really missing being somewhere familiar and being with my family and friends. I'm afraid lots of tears have been shed! At this point, the four months till the end of the school year seems like an eternity! I'm just trying to live one day/one moment at a time!

At the same time, I know God wants to use this difficult time in my life to draw me closer to Him and to shape me and mold me into the image of His Son. My struggles definitely are making me run to Him! The other day, God brought these verses to mind:

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." John 12:24-26

Right now, I feel like I would like to be anywhere but here! And yet this verse reminds me that it's not about me and what I want--Jesus calls me to lay down my life and desires and to serve and follow Him. I believe He has led me here and wants me to serve Him here.

The day after God brought these verses to mind, I looked them up, and my eyes fell on the verses that follow:

"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" John 12:27-28

As I read these verses, I began to weep. Jesus Himself gave me an example to follow! He left His home, came and lived among us in the least desirable of circumstances, and He laid down His life!!! He also knows what it is like to be tempted to want "out". What a wonderful God we serve! He not only tells us what He wants from us, He lives it out for us, giving us an example, and because of that, He is able to sympathize with us in our struggles.

THANKSGIVING:

-I have my own room and bathroom, which is a real blessing!
-My knowledge of sign language is definitely coming in handy!
-The love and hugs the girls give me!
-I get mornings off, while the girls are in school, which allows me to have some time to myself.
-My cell phone is another blessing. It allows me to talk to my family and get text messages from my friends, which are an encouragement!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

-Spiritual, emotional, and physical strength!
-Physical health! (The other day, the cook didn't come in, so I helped a few of the girls make the meal. That kitchen would be any North American food safety inspector's worst nightmare!)
-Joy and contentment.
-The physical safety and health of the girls in my care.
-Creativity (I'm afraid I'm not the most creative person, and I am really struggling to come up with ideas for ways to keep the girls busy during their free time. We just had a long weekend, so there was plenty of free time, and I really found it hard to think of things to keep the girls from getting bored. Any suggestions/ideas would be appreciated!)

NOTE: I tried uploading pictures with this post, but the internet connection was too slow. I may have to wait till my next trip to La Paz and post pictures from my parents' computers.

God Makes Dreams Come True

WARNING: This entry is very long...you have my permission to skim read :-)

God does indeed grant the desires of the heart and the fulfillment of dreams, but that doesn't mean the reality will be as rosy-colored and glamorous as the dream. As I've grown older and become a little less idealistic, I've come to realize that life is far from perfect. It doesn't matter who you are or where you live...life is full of its imperfections.

Four years ago, I got on a plane flying north, leaving behind the country where I was born and raised--Bolivia, a country with a very special place in my heart. I knew I wanted to return one day, but I had no idea how long it would take for me to return or what experiences I would live in between.

The last four years have been filled with joys and challenges. I spent three very special years going to Emmaus Bible College in Dubuque, Iowa. There I learnt, grew, and made friendships I hope will last a lifetime. The fourth year was spent living and working in Victoria, on Vancouver Island, in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. There I was challenged, grew some more, and enjoyed being close to my relatives.

A big part of the last several years has been learning to be content with where God had me--North America. Now, all of a sudden, and maybe a little sooner than I expected, God has opened up the doors, and I am back in the country I love so much.

Over the years God has used my own hearing loss, among other things, to place a burden on my heart for those who cannot hear at all--the deaf. During my late teens, I volunteered at a small deaf school in Potosi (my hometown), and I became increasingly aware of the needs of the deaf in Bolivia, South America. At one point, I visited a Christian school for the deaf just outside of Cochabamba (the third largest city in Bolivia). All those years ago, I began to dream about one day living and volunteering at that school--it seemed like the perfect place to go and immerse myself in sign language and deaf culture. All these years later, God is making that dream come true!

This last Wednesday, July 29th, I arrived in the La Paz airport after spending several weeks in the States with friends on the way down. My parents and sister Elisa were at the airport waiting for me. Going from the 37 C. (100 F.) summer heat of Dallas, Texas, to the 2 C. (35 F.) winter cold of La Paz was quite a drastic change!

It has been said you can never go back...places change and people move on. I am not returning to the Bolivia of my childhood and teens. Circumstances are so different now! My parents no longer live in Potosi (where I grew up). None of my three brothers live here now. I am no longer here as an MK, dependent on my parents, but as an independent adult.

I confess I feel a little stressed out by all the changes and having to adapt to living in a developing country. Yes...I'm adapting! Who would have thought that four years would change me so much? There are so many little details that add up. I have to remember to put the TP in the garbage vs. the toilet. Shopping is so much more complicated, and I have the mental strain of trying to divide the price by six to get an approximate idea of the cost in Canadian dollars. I can't relax when I'm out on the streets, worrying about thieves. I find I am bothered by the filth and the poverty...

I don't want to get so focused on the annoying/difficult details of life that I get weighed down. I have been trying to remind myself that it doesn't matter where I live--life will have its challenges. Just today a poem came to mind--"Bloom where you are planted." I believe this is where God wants me right now, and I want to accept the challenges and bloom where God has planted me!

On Tuesday my parents are planning to driving me to the "Centro Cristiano para Sordos Vinto"

(the Christian deaf school). It is about five or six hours from here. It is exciting, and yet I feel apprehension at the same time. As my dream is about to become a reality, I realize that there are going to be challenges, and it is not going to be all rosy-colored and glamorous...

PRAISE:

-PRAISE God for a safe and uneventful trip down to Bolivia.

-PRIASE God for His overabundant provision.

-PRAISE God for the advantage of being a Bolivian citizen--it makes things so much easier entering and remaining in the country!!!

-PRAISE God for the support I have from my family and friends here in Bolivia (I have a growing appreciation for people who go to a mission field where they know no one!)

-PRAISE God for a knowledge of the language and culture (If I'm finding adjusting a little hard, I really have to admire those who go to a country where the language and culture is completely unfamiliar!)

PRAYER REQUESTS:

-That I would get all the things done I need to get done before moving to the deaf school (e.g. shopping, opening a bank account, etc.)

-That I would keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and not get weighed down by circumstances and the annoying/difficult details of life in Bolivia.

-That His joy would be my strength.

-That His love would be my motivator.

-That I would not lose sight of my vision and forget why I am here.