First Week Back in Santa Cruz!

Greetings one and all! I have now been back in Santa Cruz for one week! It's amazing...in some ways I feel like I've already been back for a really long time and have to keep reminding myself that it's only been a week...other times, I'm struck by differences that I had totally forgotten about.
Right now I am spending most of my time saying good-bye to those who are returning to the states. Some of them are returning permanently, others will be going to college or seminary, and others will only be gone for a year of furlough. When I'm not visiting with people and attending going away parties, Virginia (the woman I am renting the house from) and I are busy making preparations for her departure. She is getting things fixed and making sure I know who to contact in case there is a problem.

Before she leaves for the states on June 5, I am staying in a guest room that she has behind her house. It is appropriately named the castle because it sits up on the second floor (pictured above) with storage and laundry room below. The window/balcony that you see on the second floor (in the picture) is where the top picture of Chiquito and I in the hammock was taken. All in all things are going really well. It continues to be an adjustment...but I'm enjoying being back. Please continue to pray for me as I settle into the neighborhood and am able to get settled into the house after June 5. Also, pray that God will help me to find time, strength, and diligence to work on the classes that I brought with me. Thank you so much for your prayers and letters during this time! They mean so much to be! I feel especially blessed to have the support of family and friends (in the U.S. and Bolivia)! Thank you!

Chiquito and I have arrived in Santa Cruz!

Greetings from Bolivia! As you can imagine, I don't have much time today, but I wanted to write a quick up-date so that you know everything is going well! Thank you so much for your prayers of travelling mercies. It was a very uneventful trip down! Praise God for the nice people and conveniences that he put in my path especially in the Miami airport. He worked everything out so that I was able to get Chiquito and take him outside to go to the bathroom before checking him once again for the all-night flight. We sat on the plane waiting to take off for a little over an hour, but other than that we arrived without any problem. All of my bags were here and customs barely took a second glance at my bags or my dog. All I had to do was show them the papers and they let us pass on through. I was expecting one or two friends to meet me at the airport...but apparently there were others who wanted to come too, so I had about 5 friends waiting when I came out the door! It was exciting to see them there!

Chiquito and I are settling into our new home! He seems to be enjoying himself immensely...sleeping under the bed where its cool or on the bed at times in order to keep an eye on me...leaving his scent all over the yard...checking things out...going for walks, getting treats, etc. He even appears to enjoy his new, Bolivian, dogfood which is a blessing for his mom! I'm settling in as well. It is an adjustment...there are things that I had forgotten about before which take some getting used to...such as the fear of electric shower heads and not being allowed to throw toilet paper in the toilet (must go in the trash can), etc. Thank you for your continued prayers! I'll be sure to up-date again next week to fill you in with a little more detail!

One Week to Go!

Here we are in the final countdown! This is always the weird part for me, because it usually means that the thought most commonly on my mind is..."this time next week I'll be..." In this case, this time next week I will be spending my first day in Santa Cruz. At this exact time, I may be trying to catch a quick nap, depending on how tired I am from the flight, otherwise I'll be unpacking. Of course, things don't always go exactly as planned and I could end up spending time with friends or shopping for groceries and a cell phone, but you get the idea!

I have a couple of very exciting things to share with you about how God has truly blessed me this week! There is a verse in Ephesians (3:20), which has been in my mind a great deal over the last several days. It says, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." This week I have had the pleasure of seeing God do "immeasurably more" than I have asked or imagined! Let me share these things with you briefly so that you can join me in giving Him glory for His goodness, provision, and protection!

1. I think I mentioned last week that I was going to be meeting with the mission's committee from the church here in Suffolk (Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church) where I have been attending with my parents. After the opportunity to share a little about SAM, what I was doing in Bolivia during the last 3 years, and the calling God has laid on my heart for future ministry there...Westminster offered to begin providing the remainder of my monthly financial support! This means that God has now provided 100% of my financial need! Now, as I mentioned before, He actually did "immeasurably more" than that! The church offered to provide enough above what I needed in order to help out with some of my seminary classes and allow for a buffer during months when others may struggle to complete their pledge! God is truly faithful in providing for our every need!

2. Yesterday, I made a trip into Washington D.C. because I needed to get my visa and to file some paperwork so that Chiquito (my dog) could return to Bolivia with me. Of course, just stating that I was going to Washington D.C. makes it sound so simple...for me...I was nervous! I'm not much of a big city girl and this trip was going to involve driving to Richmond, staying the night with a friend, taking the train to D.C., taking the metro to the Bolivian consulate office, turning in paperwork and things, reversing the steps to get back home, and then waiting a few days for them to process and mail me the documentation (hopefully before Monday's date of departure)! Needless to say, getting to Richmond and staying with my friend Amy were the least of my worries...that part I knew I would enjoy and I did! However, I realized how nervous I really had been, because I didn't sleep well Sunday night for fear of oversleeping and missing the train! Anyway, without going into a great amount of detail...I had no problems whatsoever with transportation! God gave me the strength and wisdom to get to all of the places where I needed to go without going the wrong direction first, etc. I was a little uncomfortable in the consulate office mostly because for awhile I was the only female (and incidentally North American) in the waiting room so I stood out like a sore thumb! However, everyone was very helpful and friendly so I had no issues getting the paperwork done! Like I said before..."immeasurably more"...the woman in the consulate office handled all of my paperwork on-sight so that nothing would have to be mailed and I could bring it all home with me. I now have my visa and Chiquito's needed documentation! Interestingly, I even saw someone that I knew in Bolivia...while I was in the office. He was a student at the learning center for a little while and his mom and I are good friends. She is a North American and lives in Bolivia. This teenager is now living in the states with his dad, who is Bolivian. It was so much fun to see a familiar face! If this weren't enough...God made all of this happen before noon so I still had time to have lunch and do a little shopping in Union Station before catching the train back to Richmond! Praise Him for His provision and protection on this journey out of my comfort zone!

As you can imagine, I'm exhausted today...trying to catch up on the sleep I missed the other night, but I'm feeling so blessed to have such strong confirmation from God that I am returning to Bolivia and that Chiquito is to return with me! Thank you so much for your prayers! They are certainly being felt during this time! I still have about 2 or 3 pages to write on my research paper, then my coursework will be done. After that, it will be packing up, stocking up on needed favorites, and organizing things! I'll try to up-date my blog one more time next Monday morning...then...future up-dates will come from Bolivia! Thanks again for your support and prayers, God is using you in more ways than you may know! Blessings to you all!

Two Weeks To Go!

Time sure does fly when you're having fun! Last week I spent several days travelling through North Carolina; visiting friends and saying a few farewells! All in all it was a wonderful trip! I feel so blessed to have the support of so many good friends! I frequently praise God for the faithful support He has provided through all of you. Please join me too in praising Him for such a wonderful year of furlough. He has taught me so many things this year, yet He has also given me a restful time with friends and family! For these things I am extremely grateful!

As you can understand, I'm feeling the pressure of the many things that need to get done in the next couple of weeks! I won't spend much time dwelling on those things here, but I will mention a couple of them so that you will know how to pray more specifically for those needs:
1. Pray that God will provide the remaining $150 of my monthly support.
2. Pray specifically on Thursday night as I meet with the mission's committee at our church in Suffolk, VA.
3. Pray for me as I go to Washington D.C. sometime in the next week to apply for my visa.
4. Pray for me as I seek the necessary paperwork so that my dog can return to Bolivia with me.
5. Pray for wisdom and strength in completing all of the little things that need to get done before I am prepared to go.

It has been awhile since I have mentioned the political unrest in the country of Bolivia. Let me take a moment to catch you up-to-date in this area. This past weekend, in the department of Santa Cruz where I was and will be living, the people voted 85% in favor of autonomy. This would mean separating themselves more or less (especially as far as economic resources are concerned) from the rest of the country. According to some of the articles I have read, the President is basically denying that this has happened. The other departments will continue to have similar elections over the next few months. It will be interesting to see what kinds of events will follow!

Well, it is getting late and I have a full day tomorrow! May God continue to grant all of us the peace that only He can provide!