Finishing Up!

This will be a short blog entry week, but enjoyable just the same. Last Monday I completed my last night teaching at CIET (the Bible Institute where I've been teaching English for about the last 3 years). The trimester has ended and by the time the next one starts it will be time for me to head home. I have enjoyed teaching in CIET and have learned a great deal from being a part of that program. If I return to Bolivia next year, I hope to be able to teach there again.

This week was a slow week for me, but it was fairly relaxing so I appreciated that. They were having achievement testing at school so many of my morning classes were cancelled, which meant that I was able to arrive late. I enjoyed many slow mornings and lengthy devotional times. Praise God for the refreshing, relaxing time!

You may remember praying for my friend Avelina who had gall bladder surgery. I am happy to report that she is doing quite well now! The true test for me was that she was able to make empanadas with me again this week (kind of like a fried hot pocket, filled with cheese or chicken/beef and vegetables). Avelina has been teaching me to make them so that I can introduce them to you all while I am home. However, since the surgery she hasn't been able to make them. I enjoy spending time with her chatting and drinking mate (in spanish the a is pronounced with a short a sound and the e is pronounced with a long a sound...just so that you don't think I'm looking for a mate!...it's a hot drink that I've come to love!).

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Thanks as always for your continued prayers! Hugs and Kisses to you all!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me!

As I mentioned in my last entry this week was full of birthday celebrations! It all started last Saturday when we celebrated Pablito HAuse's birthday, then there was Diego's birthday (Diego is one of the kids in our youth group) on Sunday as well as Samuelito's 1st birthday (another child from church), my birthday party at the HAuses was on Tuesday, then many of my students and friends worked hard on Wednesday and Thursday to make my birthday week extra special! I am sure I've gained about 10 lbs on cake alone! The only other highlight from the week was the Jr. /Sr. Banquet on Saturday night. It was a big hit and a very special night for students, teachers, and parents! I decided to make this a short entry as far as news is concerned since I mostly just wanted to share a couple of pictures with you. It was easier to place the pictures in Shutterfly and attach the link here for your viewing pleasure!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbNnDNm5btmMA

Enjoy and thank you as always for your continued prayers! Blessings to you all!

Lots of News!

Welcome back to the weekly blog! I hope this note finds you all doing well. I have many things to share with you this week. I'll start with the biggest news of all! God has provided someone to keep my cat while I am in the states. Drs. Placido and Tony Mercado are SAM missionaries who run a medical clinic which ministers to the Aeyore, an indigenous group of people. They have two children Jose (5th grade) and Emily (3rd grade). Emily is the most excited and I know she will take great care of my baby. I talked to them on Wednesday and got an immediate yes. By the time I saw some of the 3rd grade students on Thursday morning, Emily had already told her friends that she was going to be taking care of my cat! You can continue to pray for them and for me as it will be hard for me to leave her behind, and they are afraid of her running away or something happening to her while she is with them. However, God has been faithful in providing for that need and I know he will take care of any struggles that occur along the way.

Last weekend was full of fun! Dana and I had a wonderful time in San Ignacio! We had calm flights, beautiful weather, and a very relaxing time. We stayed by the pool a lot in the afternoons, reading and napping. We also walked around a fair amount, visiting a few people that I had gotten to know last summer. On Sunday morning, we took a retreat of silence to spend time thinking, praying, and reflecting. Then on Sunday night, we went to a service at the church I attended last June and July. All in all, it was a wonderfully relaxing time! Definitely one of those vacations that's hard to come back from!

I forgot to mention last week an experience I had a couple of weeks ago. I went to the youth group meeting on Saturday night, like I often do. There was a boy there who has just recently started coming. He is in my Sunday school class, so junior high age. During the time of fellowship I was just chatting with him about school and things. Out of the blue he turned to me and said, "My teacher says that babies whose parents aren't married, aren't wanted, is that true? My parents aren't married..." It opened wide the door for me to talk with him about the love of God and how God doesn't make mistakes. I don't know his mom, I don't know what her plans were for having children, but isn't it wonderful that I could still tell him about someone who loves him very much and who has great plans in store for him! I didn't get to go to church last weekend since I was travelling so I haven't seem him since then, but he is often on my mind. Please pray for him and for the other kids I meet here who come from broken homes and whose parents aren't walking with the Lord. Oh that these children would not seek to be walking in their parent's footsteps, but instead would be looking for the path God wants them to take.

Well, I think that's about it for this week. The upcoming week will be full of birthday celebrations (not just for myself...since my birthday is April 18, but also for Pablito HAuse and another friend from church whose birthdays are on the 14th and the 16th). We also have the junior senior banquet tomorrow night. It's formal and exciting for students and teachers alike! Tune in next Friday for up-dates on these major events! Blessings to you all!

Packing Up and Other Vacation Activities

Well, here we are in April...beginning a countdown of sorts. This weekend will be exactly 2 months until I board the plane to return to the states. As usual, that's hard to believe. We are on Easter vacation from school today, tomorrow, and Monday. I started my vacation this morning by beginning the packing process. I finally organized and officially packed up my Christmas decorations, I know it's about time for that one! I also packed up a lot of my winter clothes. They aren't put away too far in case we have a cold spell, but far enough for me to feel like I was productive. After that, my friend Avelina's son Cesar came over to hang out for a little while. We had lunch then went running around to do my grocery shopping! I know, tons of fun for a 12 year old boy! Now, he's waiting for me while I write to you so I'm afraid it will be another short letter. This week has been good, short and tiring, but good. I asked a couple of other people about keeping my cat, but haven't heard back yet, please continue to be praying about that. Tomorrow my church is having a retreat so I plan to go with them for the day. In the evening, the HAuses invited me to go to their house to dye Easter eggs so I am looking forward to that! On Saturday, my friend Dana and I will be going to San Ignacio for a visit. Some of you may remember that I stayed out there last summer with a team that was here from the states. I am hoping to get to see a few of the people that I got to know while I was there. Dana needs to go as part of her orientation to the country so we are making it a multipurpose trip. I am excited about getting to show her around and getting to teach her a little more about this country. We were unable to get a bus ride for tomorrow night, because of the holiday, so we decided to fly out on Saturday morning in a small plane that SAMair owns (the aviation component of SAM). We will be staying through Monday morning and then flying back. Please pray for our safety in travel as well as our time there. I will be sure to send an update and pictures next Friday! May God bless you all as you focus on the sacrifice He made because of His love for us. Oh that we might be mindful of that every day and not just at Easter! Blessings to you all!