Weekend in Arica

Here in Bolivia it's the fourth day of the long "Carnaval" weekend. It's a very pagan holiday with lots of drinking, dancing and immorality going on. You could say it's people's last fling at fun before "lent." 

Some friends and I decided to go away to Arica, Chile, for the weekend and enjoy the beach! Pictured above from left to right: Fabiola (Bolivian friend from La Paz), me =), Rachael (Canadian friend) and Janelle (Canadian friend). 

The adventures started on the way to Arica. The eight hour bus trip turned into a twelve hour trip because of long waits at the Bolivian and Chilean border. We had finally crossed the border and were well on our way into Chile, when we had to stop because of engine trouble and wait for another bus to come and take us the rest of the way! 

I had a neat experience of God taking care of me. Arriving at Chilean immigrations, I realized that somehow I had left my Bolivian ID card way back at Bolivian immigrations. I was tempted to feel quite upset, but I decided to rest in God and trust that He would work everything out--and He did! Thankfully I had decided to travel with both my Bolivian ID card as well as my Bolivian passport! I was able to use my Bolivian passport to get into Chile, and then on our way back into Bolivia, I was able to recover my Bolivian ID card! It was just a little reminder to me that when we run into unexpected "problems" God is still in control and taking care of things. There is nothing too big or too small for Him to handle. 

Living in a landlocked country, it was a real treat to enjoy the beach! It was also fun to see Fabiola experience the ocean for the first time! We spent long hours at the beach on Saturday. The result was some terribly painful burns! My worst burns were on the back of my legs, and I was walking around like an old lady the next day! 

We four girls shared a condo with three of Janelle's girlfriends. On Sunday night we seven girls had a lot of fun going out to eat and celebrate Valentine's Day. We found a cute little eating place all decorated with hearts on a little side street in downtown Arica.  I think we had more fun being all girls than most of the couples there! :-) 

Our last night, Rachael, Fabiola and I walked down to the beach with our towels. We laid on the beach, gazed up at the stars and enjoyed listening to the crashing of the waves. It was such a special time to meditate on the greatness of God's creation! I thought of how insignificant we are, and yet the fact that God notices and pours out His love on each individual makes each life so significant and special!

Childhood Friend and Seminar

Last week I was excited to get a phone call from Tatiana, a childhood friend from Potosí who now lives in the city of Sucre. She told me she was coming to La Paz to do some paperwork, and right away I invited her to come and stay with us. It was special to have her here for five days, and we did a fair bit of catching up. In the past, when I have visited Sucre, Tati and her family have always been very good to me, so I was happy for the chance to be good to her during her stay in La Paz. 

Over the weekend there was a seminar called "Ancient Paths" (on Biblical principles for family life) being held at the church I am currently attending. My mom and I were both going, and I signed Tati up to go with us. We were all blessed by the seminar. 

Summer Holidays Are Over

Monday morning, February 1st, kids could be seen in their school uniforms heading back to school. I must say I don't miss those days of being a student! Even so, summer holidays are over for me too, and I am currently filling three positions!

I am currently working as my dad's "secretary." He has a bunch of projects he's too busy for that he has passed on to me. This semester he is teaching the Christology class at the seminary. He has a full class of 70+ students, so as things pick up, he probably will have me help him with some grading, etc.

I am also filling in as "cook" these days. As my mom is sometimes busy homeschooling my sister Elisa, off to the prison doing ministry or, these days, going up to town to do paperwork (my parents have been trying to become Bolivian citizens for the last 5 1/2 years, and the bureaucracy here is ridiculous!) I have been making lunch, which is the main meal here in Bolivia. It's a great opportunity to practice and perfect my cooking skills! Some days meals turn out alright, and others not so good. Yesterday I thought I had turned off the rice, when in fact I had turned it on "high." Needless to say, the rice was quite burnt (I'm grateful for a patient and understanding family when meals aren't so great!)

My third position is that of "chauffeur." Elisa is quite a busy individual (I don't see much of her!) when she's not here at the house doing school, she's off to gymnastics or off to her church for some activity. My mom has been relieved to have me take over driving her to her different activities. Driving in Bolivia is definitely a different experience altogether. Just yesterday I had a couple of not so pleasant experiences. First, I got pulled over by a police officer who told me I was missing some sort of "inspection" sticker and wanted to see my license. I had no idea what he was talking about (for all I knew he only wanted to get money out of me!), but thankfully I was able to get away with telling him I didn't know anything about it, but I would inform my dad, the owner of the car. Second, I ended up going the wrong way on a one-way street! Two guards from the French Embassy saw me, but thankfully they were very gracious, and told me to wait till a car was past and then to cautiously keep going down the street (there wasn't much room to turn around).

Some of you may be wondering what my plans are for this year. At this point, I really feel like God wants me to take advantage of this time with my family and be a support to them (my wonderful parents are the couple in the above picture). In the meantime, it is also a time for me to wait on God for future plans. Please join me in prayer for clear guidance!