This is a very outdated blog update, and for that I
apologize. Turns out Spring Time (technically Fall time here) is just as busy
for teachers here as it is in the U.S. :)
In just four days, four of my friends will be here in La Paz.
When I first moved here, I could only dream that eventually some of my friends
might be able to come and experience this beautiful nation while working to
serve and encourage the people here. Well, that dream has quickly (much more
quickly than I could ever have anticipated) become a reality! One of my closest
friends, Sara, works with Chi Alpha (a campus ministry) and is leading a small
team of college students to serve in Bolivia for 10 days. This journey started
back in August during a church potluck. While waiting in line, I struck up a
conversation with the gentlemen behind me. He is American, but has lived in
Bolivia most of his life, is a Bolivian citizen, and serves with his family as a missionary here. As
we chatted, he mentioned that leading short term mission teams was his passion;
my heart leapt and I asked him about the possibility of hosting some of my
friends. He gave me his business card and I quickly put him in touch with Sara.
The rest is history! I’m so excited to have Phil host us; I don’t know of
anyone who knows the area better or has more friends and ministry contacts
around the country.
While the team is here we will be very busy!
The weary travelers will arrive Friday in the early hours of
the morning. After a bit of rest and recovery from the long flight; myself, the
team and Phil will head northeast about 100 km, dropping about 6,000 feet in
elevation to the lovely and small town of Coroico, located on the Amazon basin.
In this quaint jungle town, we will visit with contacts and encourage different
ministries there. The next morning we will travel 80 km northeast to Caranavi
(Phil actually used to be the mayor here!). We will spend the day working in an
orphanage and soup kitchen and visiting with and encouraging friends there. The
next morning we will attend church and leave on the overnight bus, traveling 250
km northwest to Rrurenebaque. Rrure (pronounced “zussay” ) is located in the
tropical lowlands of Bolivia, on the banks of the river Beni and on the
outskirts of the Amazon Rainforest. The
area’s original people, the Tacana, were one of the few lowland tribes that
resisted Christianity. I’ve heard the bus ride there is brutal, so it
should make for an adventurous night. J
Here we will work with an Ese Eja tribal village and pray for and encourage the
work that is going on there.
We will fly back to La Paz sometime Tuesday afternoon. That
evening I get to take my friends to the weekly Bible Study I have become a part
of; we will be sharing and leading the study that evening. I am very excited to introduce old friends to new friends! Wednesday and
Thursday I will head back to school to continuing teaching my kiddos while the
team works with Phil in some of the poorer areas of La Paz. In the evenings we
will have to time to explore the city and just enjoy being together. Friday the
team gets to join me at school! I am so excited to introduce them to Highlands
and to our amazing staff and students. They will be involved in a variety of
things, but mostly loving on kids. Saturday the team will leave on an early
morning flight headed back to the States and then I will most likely pass out
for a couple of days in exhaustion. :)
I believe strongly in the power of
prayer and ask that you will please join is in covering this time in prayer.
Please pray for:
- The health of the team (altitude sickness and stomach bugs are common here among travelers) and my health (I’m getting over a nasty sinus infection).
- Strength and energy for us during this full week.
- God’s miraculous touch in our lives and in the lives of those we will spend the week with.
- Divine appointments
- Our ability to encourage and serve those we meet and work with.
- My parent teacher conferences that take place the day before the team arrives. This is a wonderful time to connect and share God's love with the families of my students.
- My students and the substitute teacher (my pastor's wife) who will be teaching for me while I’m gone.
*Update*
Shortly after I wrote this, I received
notice that Phil was in a terrible car accident while hosting another team. He
and one of the team members were traveling in a bus and hit a car of foreign
tourists head on. Tragically, three of the tourists died. The girl with
Phil, Sarah, was life-flighted to La Paz where she underwent surgery to have her hand
amputated, as it was caught under the bus and beyond repair. She is in good spirits. Other than a hard hit to his head, Phil is okay. My heart is heavy and burdened for all involved in
this situation and I am reminded of the fragility of life. I share this not to
cause worry, but to burden our hearts to pray for this situation and to pray
that the enemy will not use this situation to stir up fear, but that God will use
it to stir up faith. I was told that as Sarah was waiting for the ambulance to pick her
up she expressed her readiness to pass from this life and meet the Lord, if that was His will.
Such faith inspires me and challenges me to remember how precious and valuable each day is. I’m
not sure if or how this will affect myself and the team’s upcoming plans but we
trust that God is sovereign and desire to be as flexible as possible in order
to do whatever is best for Phil. I will keep you posted.
Thank you, friends and family, for
your unending love and support. I appreciate you so much and could not be here
without you. This journey is all the more worthwhile when I can share it with
each of you.
"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those
who believe and are saved." Hebrews 10:39
