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.