Little Relief for Flooding

I'm writing this from my desk, watching a heavy rain fall outside, and I can't help but think about the people downstream.  Some are saying that these are the worst floods in recent memory and this rain certainly isn't going to help.

This incredible video from Cochabamba's main newspaper mentions:
     -56 dead
     -11 missing
     -58,000 families affected
     -worst flooding in at least 18 years (according to the man in the canoe)



The footage is from an air force helicopter on relief missions based out of Trinidad, the center of operations.  According to today's paper, Trinidad itself is now under water, as the rivers overflowed the levies this morning.

On Friday, we left the Etnos campus at just before 3pm.  We had an uneventful drive to Puerto Villarroel, located on the Rio Ichilo, arriving around 10pm.

Dinner by the side of the road:

In the morning, we were able to wander around and see some of the damage right there in town.  Although the river was still high, it had returned to its banks.  This area drains very quickly; downstream it will take weeks to recede.  You can see the watermark on this house, which had about 2 feet of water on the floor:

Many people had pulled everything out of their homes, to dry:

A few homes were very wisely built on stilts, like this one:

Our task was mostly just to deliver the supplies and be an encouragement to the pastor and the church, who will continue the process by distributing everything downstream by boat, to affected families. 

Breakfast was masaco (fried banana, mashed) and fried wild pork

 That job done, we took the opportunity to take a boat ride on the river:

On the way, we went by a community of ethnic Yuracaré which was under water.  It is just across the river, so they were able to get assistance from the port.

Please continue to pray with us for the affected as well as those that are actively helping.  We have one pilot friend here who, although he is unable to land on the flooded airstrips is doing food drops in communities where he has contacts.  Please pray for his safety and that through him, these churches, and our small efforts, people would get the food, clothes, and medicine they need, as well as take the opportunity to hear about the Bread of Life and take spiritual shelter in the Rock of Salvation.

Classes and Floods

Classes started this week here at Etnos with five returning students.  After three days of orientation, classes officially started yesterday.  I taught my first class, a two-hour introduction to the Culture and Language Acquisition course that I am teaching this semester.  I had fun!

You may have seen in the news that Bolivia is facing massive flooding again this rainy season.  According to official estimates, more than 52,000 families are affected in 110 municipalities (each with several towns/villages).

The government has declared a state of emergency and is diverting resources to help provide evacuations, medical services, and food where needed, but it is a big job.  

One of our coworkers began pursuing the possibility of getting involved a couple days ago and started making purchases.  Staff and students have been working together to get things ready. 

Supplies were purchased in bulk and divided for distribution

Students filling bags for distribution

Each bag contains flour, rice, noodles, salt, sugar, oil, coffee, dry milk, and sardines

We currently have about 1000 pounds of food and medicine in the Patrol and trailer, ready for delivery.  I will be going with seven other staff and students to hand the supplies over to a local church in the affected region that will be able to distribute them by boat.

We had hoped to leave early this morning but have been waiting to get permission to transport gasoline into the area, for the boats.  We've been unable to get it, but we're going to leave at 2:00 this afternoon and will see what we can do about getting fuel along the way.  It is about 6 hours' worth of driving.

Please pray for all of those affected by flooding and that the churches will be faithful representatives of our good God.

Settling In

To say the last several months have been a little crazy and stressful is an understatement but we are so thankful for the many ways God has shown us His faithfulness. We have had a good opportunity to slow down and start accepting the huge change that has come about in our lives.

School days

The big house on campus has become our own and feels like home now. The girls are very comfortable here and love playing outside with the freedom to roam and not too many dangers. We're even hearing them greet our Bolivian coworkers in Spanish as they pass by (a new and very encouraging development). We have recently acquired five chickens and the girls love going with Nathan or me to feed them and check for eggs twice a day. We have also gotten back into the rhythm of school five days a week.

 

Our chickens: Producing 4-5 eggs a day!

Nathan is actively preparing for his classes. He'll be teaching five hours of class a week: three hours of Language and Culture Acquisition and two hours of Spanish Grammar (to give the students a basis for learning the grammar of an indigenous language). He is a busy man and getting excited for the work ahead of him. Pray for him as he teaches this year. The school year starts on Monday, February 10th.

I, Kaylee, am enjoying making our house a home and teaching the girls. I am thankful for the women I am surrounded by on this campus. Pray for me as I build relationships with them. There is a wealth of wisdom and experience to glean from and I desire to know them better. Pray that I would have confidence in my Spanish speaking abilities. It's easy to stay inside despite the desire to get to know people.

We recently attended a local church. It is small and the people were very friendly. Many of them are familiar with Etnos and were happy to have us join them. Pray that we would have wisdom as we decide whether or not this should be where we fellowship locally.

As I close I want to share just a bit of what God is teaching me right now. Many of the changes we have gone through recently have been directly linked to my contentment in Bolivia. God has been so gracious with me (as has Nathan). I am so thankful that He opened the door for us to do ministry here at Etnos. I believe it will be a very good fit for our family.

As I process all that we've gone through and the decisions made it has become quite obvious that as my mind dwells on earthly things (comfort, family, friends, food, language, etc.) my heart has become increasingly discontent here in Bolivia. Thankfully we have seen a change in this contentment, especially during the last month, as I have refocused my mind and heart on our goal. My heart's desire is to build up treasures in Heaven but I am so easily distracted. It has been so helpful to read a few books by Randy Alcorn (50 Days of Heaven, Seeing the Unseen) and Elisabeth Elliot's Keep a Quiet Heart. Most importantly reading the Bible consistently has been so encouraging.  I know that we are fighting spiritually and it's so easy to give in. So please pray for us, me especially, as we fight to keep our eyes on the goal: eternity.

We were also blessed with a short but wonderful get away in January as we joined Kaylee's family for a reunion, an amazing gift with memories that will be treasured. 

40 Days in the Wilderness

Okay, I admit that the title of this post is largely symbolic.  Perhaps entirely.  But it is what sprang to mind as I was contemplating the past six weeks and the massive changes that are happening in our lives.

In case you haven't noticed, we have been preparing to move to a little jungle village called Urubichá, populated by Guarayo people, to learn their language, plant a church, and do some Bible translation.  As you can see from my previous posts, I spent a couple weeks working out there, prepping a house for us.

And then everything changed.

How do you know what the will of God is for your life?  How do you decide where to live?  What job to take?  What church to go to; which ministry to get involved in?  What are the factors that you consider as you make decisions throughout your life?

I am going to guess that most of you will answer with a combination of several factors that take your God-given abilities and desires into consideration, tempered by family needs.  Bathe it in prayer and move forward, to see what God will do.

We are no different.

It has been about 7 years that we have been formally on this road.  Along the way, we have seen God lead, provide, and modify our plans.  Although the magnitude seems much greater this time, He continues to show His faithfulness.

We are not going to Urubichá.

Frankly, I think the details are rather unimportant.  Suffice it to say that, thanks to a lot of very difficult conversations with various coworkers, we now see that we should change direction, at least for now.  I do find it very interesting that the latest post on my personal blog ties in so neatly.  Little did I know at the time. . .

This has not been an easy conclusion to come to.  In fact, it is by far the hardest plan modification we have experienced yet, and is quite possibly the most difficult trial we have faced as a couple.  The past few weeks have been full of a wide variety of emotions, tears, meetings, prayer, and Bible reading as we seek God's will.

The big question is, "Now what?"

We are still committed to making disciples.  We still believe that reaching the unreached people groups of the world ought to be the Church's highest priority.  We believe that God has brought us to Bolivia for a purpose.

During this time of transition, we have been living in Santa Cruz, at a missionary training center called ETNOS.  It exists to provide Bolivians and other South Americans the same type of cross-cultural ministry training that we received, equipping them to make disciples and plant churches in unreached ethnic groups.

 

We already knew that they are short-handed and most of the staff wear at least two hats, so we asked the leadership team in which areas they were lacking.  We want to use the gifts that God has given us, not seek just any slot to fill.  A main part of the reason we were moving toward tribal ministry is that I have a love of language, teaching, and tinkering/fixing/building.  The big question was if there was a place for me to fit into at ETNOS, with those skills?

It "just so happens" that they have been trying to recruit someone to help teach the technical language-learning classes.  They also need more help with the practical skills classes (how to "make do") and campus maintenance, particularly in the "fixit" department.  Those areas are being filled by people that, if I stepped in, would have more time to focus on their other priorities.

We see too that Kaylee's gifts will be more useful here, particularly hospitality.  She would also be involved in discipling the female students, without needing to learn another language.  This would give her more freedom to fulfill her responsibilities as a homeschooling mother and still have an involvement in ministry.

After many conversations with the ETNOS staff and directors, as well as with our sending church, we have decided to jump back into academic life, on the other side of the coin.  It is going to be a difficult transition in some ways, but we have peace in the decision and are confident that God will continue to direct us as we move forward.

We would appreciate prayer as we make this transition.