The Village

This week Nathan and I took a trip out to the village where we hope to work in the future. We are so thankful that Nathan's parents were willing to watch the girls for us in the city while we traveled, especially so I could see everything without the additional stress of taking care of the girls in a situation that was really out of my control.

We left on Sunday morning and were able to stay two nights. My first reaction was very discouraging. I was overwhelmed and couldn't imagine myself making that move with our little family. When you arrive it is just so real. The pictures, the training, nothing could have prepared me for what really hit me that first night. The heat was almost unbearable, the bugs (mosquitos, chiggers, beetles, among others) were everywhere and everything is so different from anything I've ever known. Our training really did prepare us, don't get me wrong, but it's just so different in real life.

The "Laundry Room"

Me in the "Laundry Room" :)

This trip was really for me, to see and experience the village for the first time. (I didn't take very many new photos with how overwhelmed I was. . .and trying to take it in as it was, not through a lens.) We spent a lot of time talking with our future coworkers, a Bolivian couple with three children (one is now in the city at the university). They are pleasant people with a heart for their countrymen. It was good (and hard) to hear their stories from the past three years of living in the village. It has been quite difficult for them. The village is mostly Catholic (in an "old world" way) and most are not excited to see evangelical missionaries in the area, especially the nuns and priest.

The Catholic Church and grounds

We asked questions about housing and found that there really is nothing available, mostly land for building. We asked about groceries and found that we will be able to purchase dry goods in town but will have to travel an hour (on bad roads, see below) to get dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt) unless we want to purchase from the lady in town who sells fresh milk from her cow. :)  We would also need to make our own bread or purchase in the same town as the dairy products. All fresh fruits and vegetables are purchased in a town about 3 hours away (on our way in and out from Santa Cruz). We learned that the soil is good but because the fruits and vegetables are not natural to the area the people do not grow them. They do have grapefruit trees, mango trees, some lemon trees and a couple of different fruits (native to Bolivia that I don't know the name of!). They also grow corn and rice and fish in the local rivers (but the fish population is dwindling).

One of the fruit trees. The fruit grows on the bark.

The road to the village. It was full of washboards and potholes.

You can see a bit more depth to the potholes in this photo.

We walked around town, visited the music school, and stopped in at the nun's shop where she sells the work that the locals create (with materials provided by the Catholic church). The nun pays the locals for the work they did and then she sells the items with the profits going to the church. Their handwork is very well done. The men have wood working specialties that include making violins. The women specialize in weaving hammocks but also crochet, knit and embroider. There are classes available to learn the wood working and hand crafts for a very affordable price, about $3.00 a year. (You can read more and see examples of the handwork here.)

Lord willing, we would like to join our coworkers in this village. After a lot of time talking, praying constantly through out the day and getting past the initial shock I was able to get past my initial discouragement. I know that we can do it. It's going to be the hardest thing I have ever done but I know it's possible if I trust in our great God!

Short Update

From our family to yours, Happy Valentine's Day!

We have been busy preparing for a trip to the village this week and the annual Outreach Conference at our home church in the US. For those of you attending that church, be sure to look for our display and grab a new prayer card!

This will be my, Kaylee's, first trip to the village and Nathan's excited to show me around. Please be praying for us as we make the journey. The girls and Nathan's parents will be traveling part way with us and then staying in the city while we continue on to the village. Pray for them and us in those three days apart. We hope to ask some very specific questions about housing, what is available in town (think groceries) and just get a better understanding of what it is going to take to move out there. Thank you for your prayers on our behalf!

Roadtrip!

Just a couple days after Christmas, we had to go to Santa Cruz for a conference. We jumped at the opportunity to take a roadtrip for the first time in about 2.5 years! Poor Lydia (and maybe Addi too!) didn't even remember what a roadtrip was!

From Cochabamba to Santa Cruz is about 300 miles, but it took us 11.5 hours to get there! If you watch this video we made along the way, you'll see why!  It only covers the first half of the trip, which is the most exciting anyway, as we make the climb to 12,100 ft and then make the rapid drop to 700 ft.  It was made even more exciting by the fact that I had no clutch for the worst part!

We also took lots of pictures, of course!  They include some from the road, the zoo, and other things we enjoyed in Santa Cruz after the conference was over.  Click here to see the full-size photos, or enjoy the slideshow below:

There's a light at the end of the tunnel!

We'd like to give a big THANK YOU to all of you who prayed for us yesterday! 

The day didn't start like we'd planned: I got a 6am phone call from our immigration lawyer and ended up spending a couple hours at the ID office (still working on visa paperwork, another request for prayer!) which pushed Kaylee's evaluation back to later in the morning.

In spite of a rough start to the day, Kaylee did a good job on her evaluation and advanced a level!  She is now at Intermediate High (6 of 10) and just one level short of her goal.

I also went up a level, to my surprise!  Mauge, the director of the language school, said I am DEFINITELY in Advanced Mid (8 of 10), which was my final goal for Spanish study!  It's kind of surreal, but that means I am technically done!  Talk about an unexpected Christmas present. :)

Our focus now is to get Kaylee finished: as I mentioned, she would like to advance one more level, to Advanced Low.  This will most likely include me taking over the lion's share of household duties (aka Mr. Mom) so that she can devote more time to study and class.  We will be doing lots of thinking, praying, and talking with our overseers about how I can make the most of my time.

The most exciting part about this is that the light is finally showing at the end of the tunnel on our journey to the Guarayos!

Meet the Patrol!

This afternoon, we finally took possession of our new vehicle, a 1997 Nissan Patrol Y60.

I know, I know.  It's not a Land Cruiser.  I told you that you'd be surprised.

From the very beginning of our vehicle search, the Nissan Patrol has been on our short list, along with 4 Toyota models.  In the past six months, I had narrowed our search to the 80-series Land Cruisers, mostly based on personal preference.  They are fantastic vehicles and I would still love to own one.  However, I just haven't been able to find one with what we want for less than $20,000!  That's a lot of money to spend on a 15 year old vehicle, even though it is one of the stoutest in the world.

This Patrol belonged to friends and coworkers of ours here in Cochabamba.  They recently decided to get a newer, smaller vehicle that was more suited to their needs.  They offered up the Patrol for a price that we would be crazy to refuse!  The remaining money in our vehicle fund will be used for upgrades and future repairs.

Besides not being a Toyota, it's also not a diesel.  It has a 4.2 liter TB42 straight-6 gasoline engine that has been converted to use vehicular natural gas!

Natural gas is incredibly cheap to run here.  The problem is that it lacks the power of gasoline or diesel and eventually starts to eat the engine.  We're not quite sure what we're going to do about that down the road (diesel swap, maybe?), but for now, we'll enjoy the benefit of cheap fuel!

The tank does take up a large chunk of the trunk:

The girls love it.  Addi's big thought for the day was, "We don't have to ride in taxis anymore!"  She and Lydia love having car seats, something Lydia doesn't even remember.  Kaylee is glad to be able to go places without (average) a child and 2 bags on her lap.  I think Anne appreciates the freedom of riding by the window, by herself.  I'm just glad for something to drive!

We just want to say a huge THANK YOU!! to everyone who made this possible.  Because of your prayer and financial gifts over the past year, we now have the ability to get around much easier.  Our kids are safer.  We will waste less time (waiting for taxis).  We can be more flexible.  After almost 2 years without our own transportation, it is truly a blessing.

Vehicle Update: Good News!

After talking about it for over a year, we finally have some good news to share about a vehicle purchase!

 However, we're still in the midst of doing paperwork and transitions and things, so we aren't going to spill the beans just yet.

I will tell you one thing: I'm as surprised as you will be at what we're actually buying! :)

Stitches out!

Lydia's doctor had an emergency surgery to perform Thursday night, so our appointment was changed to last night. Lydia and I went by ourselves; Kaylee stayed home with Anne and Addi.

I prepped her throughout the day, so she knew what to expect.  She was talking all about it earlier, but got shy once I turned on the camera. :)

(And no, it wasn't a good time for Addi to play in the dirt!)

When it was our turn, the doctor looked at the stitches, then sent us down the street to the pharmacy to pick up a disposable scalpel blade.  It cost us 1 Boliviano (about 14 cents).  We then returned to his office.

I should mention that his office is downtown and is just that: an office.  It does have a small examination bed in it, but other than that it is all desk and bookshelves.

He had me lay Lydia down on the bed, then called in the receptionist.  She held his smartphone for light (!) and I held her hands while he removed 6 of the 7 stitches.  He left the one closest to her eye and said it will come out on its own within a few days.

Lydia did fantastic through it all!  She didn't wiggle at all and kept her eyes open, looking straight ahead the whole time.  The only thing she said was, "I don't like the knife." :)

This is how it looks today:

Pretty good!