June 17, 2008

I received my first care package last night...that was exciting! Of course, most of what was in the box were things that I had hoped to bring with me, but couldn't fit them in my carry-on. Mom and Dad packed them up right after I left and sent them to the home office, so I was expecting them! However, it was still a nice feeling...even to get some of my own things in a care package. There were also a couple of surprises stuck inside. One of them was a letter from friends in Franklin. They requested that I add a few details to my blog about what the climate and life in Santa Cruz is like right now...therefore...for "Maggie and the girls", I'll try to do just that!

Climate: We're well into the winter season here. Upon my arrival, the temperature was in the 80s and very humid. Only a few days after that, it got very cold...miserably cold for me. The terminology here is that a "sur" blew in, which is a wind coming up from the South. The temperature stayed in the low 50s which is pretty cold for this area. Without any insulation in the house and with the rain/general dampness in the air...it felt cold! I went days feeling like I couldn't get warm...that's when it starts to feel miserable. After a couple of sleepless nights due to the cold, I started adding more layers. Soon I was wearing a mock turtle-neck, a long sleeve shirt, two sweatshirts with the hoodies pulled up over my head, two pairs of pants, and two pairs of socks. On the bed were two sheets, a down comforter, and another comforter doubled over on top of me because it was a size too large for the bed. You'll be glad to know that with all of that...I finally slept well! I didn't want to get up in the morning...but at least I was sleeping well! As it always does, after a few days, the sun started making an appearance again and we were back to sleeveless tops and sandals with temperatures in the 70s and 80s during the day, then maybe a light sweater at night as it would cool down. Another "sur" blew in last weekend, but fortunately, it is not as severe...so far I don't think it has gotten colder than 60 this time and there hasn't been any rain involved.

My House: I am getting more and more settled in my house. It has two bedrooms, one bathroom, family/dining room combination, and a very small kitchen. The size of the kitchen is the only downfall as far as I'm concerned. There is a back porch with a hammock as well as a hammock chair. On warmer days/evenings, I enjoy sitting back there and watching the stars or just enjoying the tropical atmosphere. I'm looking forward to more warmer days when I can do that more often. There is also the laundry room in the back with the spare room where I stayed for the few weeks before my friend left. I will try to take more pictures of the house this week and attach them to my next up-date. There is a wall around the yard with a double gate in the front so that I can get the truck out. I keep the gate locked most of the time, unless others are here with me and/or people are coming and going. I just feel a little more secure that way. There are two guards that patrol the street, one by day and the other by night. They are very friendly and helpful. Often if they are near the house when I drive up, they offer to open the gate for me so that I don't have to get out of the truck. It's a big help! I also am very comfortable asking them to accompany me to my door if there is anything that worries me. That's only happened once...I was out walking Chiquito who tends to attract the attention of a lot of other dogs and as we neared our house I realized the big dog that lives across the street was out and I didn't want any trouble...asking the guard to walk me to the door was just a precaution. Whereas many side streets in the neighborhoods are dirt...my street is not, which is wonderful! It really cuts down on the amount of dirt that gets tracked in or blown into the house!

Last week/weekend I had my first company here in the house. On Wednesday, 4 girls from my mission came over for lunch and to watch movies. Three of them are from the same family. There mom was out of town for a conference in the states so I was helping their dad out a bit. They are junior high/high school age. The fourth one is the same age and her mother was also out of town so it was convenient to have them all at the same time. Incidentally, her younger brother (who I think is in 3rd grade) came over on Friday night with Pablito HAuse (who is in the 5th grade). You may remember me talking about my friends the HAuses...Pablito's mother had surgery last week and his father is still recuperating from a surgery that he had a month ago. Anyway, Pablito and Benji spent the night and stayed until late in the afternoon on Saturday. Then, on Sunday the youth group from church (as well as the HAuses and Heather Mickelson...fellow missionaries serving in my church) came over for lunch. It was a tight squeeze to feed about 20 or so people...but it was a lot of fun!

Well, I'm sure there's more I could share, but this entry is getting rather long so I'll sign off for now! Thank you so much for your support of the work God is doing in Bolivia...it is through your support and God's grace that I'm able to minister to missionary kids and Bolivians alike!