Operation Bolivia

On the mission field here in Bolivia we sometimes face many dangers and difficulties, even down to the difference in the bugs that we have. Here we have some of your normal creatures like Flys, Beatles etc. but we also have things like a bug called Vinchucas which is an insect that if it bites you can do permanent damage to your heart and digestive system. Also since we arrived we often see in our house small scorpions. Until now we have not had problems with the Vinchucas but the other night while in the bathroom Taylor our youngest daughter put her hand down on the rug and there was a small scorpion there that stung her. Although they are not deadly we have heard that they can cause lots of pain and the victim can run a high fever and have convulsions. Thankfully our landlord is a pharmacist and was able to tell us what medicines we needed to give here. After taking them she fell immediately asleep and slept through the night. The next morning we awoke to find her acting completely normal with no signs of the affects of the sting. We have joked and said that we think the scorpion actually died after stinging Taylor instead of hurting her. We are very thankful to the Lord for His protection over her and that it wasn’t very serious. Thank you always for your prayers for the Lord’s blessing and protection over us.

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The Lord has truly given us a great Christmas this year in our family and church. This past Sunday the 23rd of December we had our Christmas activities. We planned a special program for the morning and the night service. In the morning the children of the church presented part of the Christmas story showing how just like Joseph and Mary couldn’t find a place for Jesus to be born many don’t have room for Him today in their lives. The Lord blessed us with 126 in attendance with close to 10 first time visitors. At night the teenagers of the church presented their program and then afterwards we had hot chocolate and fruit cake, both of which are big traditions here. We had over 80 in attendance and 4 people that trusted Christ as Savior.
Then on Christmas day we were able to celebrate as a family and have a wonderful time together. That night we invited several of the young people from the church for a get together where we ate, played games and had each person share something that the Lord had done in their lives. We praise the Lord for His wonderful blessings and hope that each of you have a blessed Christmas and New Year.

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Being away from family and friends during the holidays can be a little difficult at times. Even the difference in the seasons can make it hard to think of it as Christmas. We praise the Lord that recently we have been able to have some of our family here to celebrate Christmas with us. My mom and Beth’s mom and brother were here for 9 days to visit and of course see the grandchildren. On Wednesday we exchanged gifts and played games while listing to Christmas music. Although it is about 85 degrees outside, it has been wonderful sharing this very special time. We just have to imagine that it is cold!

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Tomorrow the 14th we celebrate the anniversary of the city of Cochabamba here in Bolivia. There will be many festivities and most buisnesses will be closed for the holiday. In the schools today they celebrated because there are no classes tomorrow. Grace and Taylor had to dress up today like Cholitas. Cholita is a word that refers to the indigenous ladies here in Bolivia and some surronding countries. It is a word that can be used as an insult but many times is used as a term of affection. Below you will see Grace and Taylor in the traditional dress of the people here.

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We have been in Bolivia for about five months now and it has been amazing to see how our family has adapted to living in another country. Also our children have grown and changed so much that it is hard to believe. They are both now speaking as much Spanish as English. We appreciate you prayers for our family and their safety as there are always dangers that we face. Here are a few pictures that we hope you enjoy.

Grace and Taylor enjoying a warm spring day.

All smiles.

Taylor practicing her art.

First cooking lesson.

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Welcome to our new blog about Bolivia. Here we hope to be able to keep you updated about our family and ministry here in Bolivia. We hope you enjoy, and we will soon be sending information on a regular basis. Please let us know if you received and enjoy our blog.