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| View from my living room |
I arrived safely in La Paz at 9 PM (Eastern Standard Time) on Thursday evening. After a quick and easy trip through customs I was greeted by one our staff couples, Jay and Nona, and their baby girl Gabriella. They had a special tea made out of cocoa leaves, designed to combat altitude sickness, ready and waiting for me. The elevation at Los Altos (where the airport resides) is nearly 14,000 feet. As we drove out of Los Altos, deeper into the city, we dropped in elevation nearly 2,000 feet. The lights of the city shimmering off the hills, illuminated by a glowing half moon were spectacular. I can't wait to see the same view in daylight.
Today, after a good, but not quite long enough night of sleep :), our team made our first visit to the school where we were acquainted
with some of the Bolivian staff and had a bit of time to work in our
classrooms. The school is somewhat rustic, but beautiful and a place
full of joy and peace. It's hard to believe in less than two weeks we
will have 210 children walking through our doors! As you can imagine
there is much to do in the days ahead. We spent the afternoon in town
picking up a few essentials and had dinner at our director's (Scott
Frost) home. As we ate chicken wings and french fries (very traditional
Bolivian food-not) Marcos, a Bolivian teacher at our school, shared about his
country and his heart to reach all his countrymen and women for Jesus.
It was moving and encouraging to hear his passion.
I am feeling good so far and not experiencing effects of altitude sickness, other than a dull headache. The weather here is spectacular, blue skies, sunny, yet cool. I did get a little sunburnt today just walking around town, as the sun is intense here! I wish I had a funny anecdote or story to share, but so far all has been pretty calm. :) I'm sure the cultural faux pas will be adding up soon and I look forward to sharing those funny moments with you.
Thank you again for your prayers, support and encouragement. I certainly felt them over the last few days of leaving home and travel. It was difficult to leave, but I am grateful for the peace and assurance of our Lord!
"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith…" Hebrews 12:1-4
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| View from my living room |
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| At Highlands with snow capped Mt. Illimani behind me |
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| Highlands International School |
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| My classroom-can't wait to show you the "after" picture! |
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| View from my classroom window |
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| First picture in my classroom |
