September 20, 2008

Some of you are probably aware of the political situation in Bolivia. Five departments (equivalents of states) of the nine in Bolivia have expressed their desire to be autonomous: to elect their own governors and departmental authorities, to have more control over local schools, public services, etc., pretty much like in the U.S. The national, or central, government has expressed at various times that it is moving in that direction and is open to dialog, but their actions have consistently and without exception said the opposite. This has gone on for some time, and the five departments have become more and more agitated. Last week there was unrest here in Santa Cruz, mainly in the downtown area, and now there are problems in other areas as well. The differences go beyond political ideologies and include cultural and religious identities.

As a result of this continued unrest, South America Mission has decided to limit the number of missionaries in Bolivia by removing the single missionaries at this time. On Sunday morning, Katie Wells and I will be flying first to Lima and then to Pucallpa, Peru for a period of several weeks. We will be working with the SAM Academy there. Other single missionaries (Elliott Tait and Dana Wilson) were scheduled to go on Home Assignment later this year. They are now returning to the United States as soon as Monday and Tuesday. While this is difficult, we are grateful that the Mission staff have our best interest uppermost in their minds.

As you know, I have been living in the home of a missionary who is currently in the United States on Home Assignment. While I have felt very safe in Santa Cruz, and there has been no violence in the area where I have been living and working; I am concerned about leaving her home vacant. Fortunately there are Bolivians who will care for it in my absence.

Also, if you know me, you know I have a dog, Chiquito. The Lord has blessed me with another SAM family who love dogs and have agreed to keep Chiquito while I am in Peru. This is a clear blessing to me from the Lord. It puts flesh on the verse in Luke 12:6 where Jesus said the Lord cares for even sparrows that fall.

Please pray, especially for the country of Bolivia, the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center, the missionaries still here and the believers who will be left. Ask for God's grace to be multiplied on them. Also, pray for Katie and me as we pack for an indefinite time, say our goodbyes and begin a new adventure. Help us to be confident in the words from Jer. 29:11, "'for I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

September 1, 2008

Happy Labor Day to those of you living in the U.S.! In Bolivia, Labor Day (Dia del Trabajador) is in May so we have the joy of working today on a normal schedule!

Things have been a little busy for me here, but I just couldn't let another week go by without up-dating my blog! I apologize for being a bit sporadic on my up-dates!

Things you can be praying for:
1. Last week I took my midterm exam for one of my classes and this Wednesday, I hope to take the other one. Finding time to get enough studying in continues to be a challenge. Fortunately, last week and this week I have been able to cut back on a few activities in order to have some extra study time. However, that isn't always the case and I am now down to about two months left to complete these courses with quite a bit of work yet to finish!

2. You may remember me asking for you to pray for Dalmiro as he seeks the Lord's direction to one day serve Him in India. The first step on his missionary endeavors will hopefully be to Abingdon, VA, my home supporting church. They have a mission's internship which would be a wonderful experience for Dalmiro, not to mention it would warm my heart to connect Bolivia with my hometown even in a small way! The most difficult part right now, will be getting a visa! The U.S. government doesn't hand them out easily and Dalmiro's chances don't look very good as there are some requirements that he doesn't currently meet (i.e. he is supposed to own a house here and have so many thousands of dollars in the bank to show that he has a real reason to return). However, I have seen God provide for others...and have no doubt that if this is His plan for Dalmiro, then He can work it out. Please join me in lifting Dalmiro up in prayer over the next few months as he schedules an appointment and then travels to US Embassy in La Paz for his meeting. (There is a picture of Dalmiro in the second picture at the end of this up-date.)

3. I am thoroughly enjoying being back in Special Education and I love my schedule/balance between school ministries and "other" ministries. Praise the Lord for that! On a school note...I'm being reminded of how difficult Special Education can be as I have several students who are truly struggling. I feel like we are struggling to get methods into place to help these students be successful and their parents are discouraged. Please pray for wisdom in working with these students as well as patience as we deal with their parents (who seem to appear constantly, sometimes at the most inopportune moments). Thank you for praying for the shipment the school has had waiting in customs. We were finally able to get that delivered last week and I unpacked boxes and got things put away last Friday! I'm so glad to have that chore behind me!

I know I promised pictures last week, but forgot to attach them! Sorry about that! I've posted a few below for your enjoyment (They're pictures from an outing with a few of the leaders in my church to explore a new area being developed outside of the city where our church is praying about doing some outreach)! Blessings to you all and thank you so much for your faithful support and prayers!