Closing a Chapter, Tour Guide, Small Accident

I spent last week in my hometown--Potosí. My week was full catching up with old friends. One of the things I love about being from a small city is that you are constantly bumping into people you know! It's lovely! Since being back in Bolivia, I hadn't yet been to the city of Sucre to see friends there, so I I also took advantage of being only a couple of hours away to make a quick trip there.

My parents are in the process of selling our home in Potosi, so it was a bittersweet time to enjoy being in our apartment one last time. One of my favourite things about the apartment is the hammock up on the roof, so I spent some time reading up there. I also spent some time sorting through some of our stuff. The selling of our home kind of feels like the closing of a chapter in our lives. I spent almost 18 years of my life in Potosi, and it will always have a special place in my heart!

Early Friday morning, Janelle, Rachael, Katie (Horton) and Matt (Shannon)--four Canadian friends--arrived. For the next two days I greatly enjoyed being a tour guide. Friday's highlight was a trip to the "laguna," a natural pool of hot water in an old volcano crater. My family used to go there every Monday, and there I learnt to swim! Lots of memories!

On Saturday my dad's friend, Wilson, came by and picked us up. He took us to a place where we got all geared up and then headed up the Cerro Rico ("Rich Mountain") to have a tour of one of the many mines. It was quite the intense experience walking through damp narrow tunnels. At one point we really jumped at an explosion, which it turned out came from well below us.

This last week back in La Paz, I have been taking care of Elisa while my parents are in Potosi finalizing things with the sale of the house. I have also been hanging out with a friend visiting from Santa Cruz, and a couple of times we got to hang out with Rachael, Katie and Matt. On Tuesday we went out to Mallasa (on the outskirts of La Paz) and visited the zoo. After that we rented and had fun on three quads. I was riding on the back of a quad, and we were on our way back to the rental place, when all of a sudden we hit a bump. Suddenly I found myself falling backwards and next thing I knew I was on the ground! Kind of embarassing! I just laughed and got back on the quad (my friend who was driving felt pretty bad!) Thankfully I escaped from the incident with only some scrapes and a little sore. :-)

Prayer Scarf and Precious Sister

It's a bright sunny Sunday afternoon in San Miguel, La Paz, Bolivia. The sunshine is welcome after a long rainy season.

Last night I was asked if I would be willing to help out with Sunday School this morning. I warned the pastor's wife that I am not good with children, but if they needed help, I was willing to do what I could. Let me just say, I admire all those of you who love working with children and do such an amazing job of it! This morning wasn't too bad, but working with children definitely doesn't come naturally to me!

Last Sunday my mom shared a story with me that blessed and encouraged me, reminding me of the power of prayer. Let me share it with you as an encouragement that God does hear our prayers! A few years ago I was a student at Emmaus Bible College. I had a friend who taught me how to crochet. I decided to crochet a scarf and send it down to Bolivia with my brother Caleb, who was going down for Christmas. I told my mom I wanted her to give it to one of the prisoners at the prison where she did ministry. I sent a letter with the scarf talking about God's love and saying I was praying for whoever got the scarf. My mom prayed about who to give the scarf to and ended up giving the scarf to Boris, a hardened criminal who was in solitary confinement at the time--he was surprised. This was in the prison in Potosi. Now, a few years later, my mom is ministering at a prison outside of La Paz. It turns out that at some point Boris was transfered here, and he has been coming to the meetings! A week ago Saturday he talked to my mom and told her that he is being transfered to a different prison again, but that he knows God goes with him. After talking to Boris, my mom felt confident that he now has a relationship with God! How exciting to realize that those prayers for an unknown man, recipient of the scarf I made, were answered by God!

During this time I continue keeping busy as "secretary," "cook" and "chauffeur." I am trying to really appreciate and take advantage of this time with my family. Who knows if I will ever have a time like this again! I am also trying to take advantage of the time with my precious, not so little sister! I hope this may be a time where I can really invest in her life and in our relationship! She keeps very busy with two hours of gymnastics every day (Monday-Friday) and with her various church activities and many friends! But we have started trying to keep Tuesdays as our day to do things together. The pictures above are from the other week when we made Lemon Zuchinni Cookies.

I just want to say, I appreciate all those of you who take an interest!

Celina