My Past Week

Hola All, I know it has been quite a while since my last blog and you may all think it’s been because I was crazy busy, but in fact it’s the opposite. This week was really slow. We didn’t do much, that is until this weekend. The week following my last post, all we did was hang around at Ken’s place while Ken was gone to Cochabamba. It was fun and everything just not much to blog about.

There were a couple things that happened this week though. First we went for a walk at the plaza where we saw all the kids dancing and begging for money and some looked like they couldn’t have been older than 3 or 4, it was super heartbreaking. Then later on our walk we saw a shoe store called American Pie (in Spanish “Pie” means “foot”) and then we laughed and wondered if they had called it that on purpose. Other than that nothing super crazy or story worthy happened this week, that is until this weekend.

This weekend we did a lot of different things, on Friday night we went to visit Mision Timoteo which is one of the orphanages that we will be working with a lot during our time here, most likely three times a week starting next week! Then on Saturday we got called up by Marco at 8 am and were asked to help him out, so we did. We ended up helping dig a trench for a water line for their new property in the +40 weather, good times… Then in the evening we went to The Green Hornet in theatres with Ken and the guys which was a nice change.

Finally there was Saturday which was my personal favourite. In the morning we went to church, nothing new there, but what was new was what happened while at church. During the break between worship and the sermon everyone greets and talks with each other which is cool, the funny thing is what I ended up talking about. This random guy comes up to me and starts ranting in Spanish for a few minutes until I can get a word in and tell him that I didn’t understand what he was saying. So once he knew that he went and found a translator so he could say it all again. Basically what he was saying was that he was a director for commercials and he thought I had a face for TV, whatever that means, and he wanted me to be in the commercial he was directing the next day. I would have made $200 in one day! Sadly I had to say no because I was busy, but hopefully he will ask again in the future and I can say yes! 

So anyways that’s how my day started, but the stories don’t end there. Then for lunch we went to a restaurant where Tim and I both ordered cow tongue, surprisingly it wasn’t that bad. The worst part of the meal ended up being these super weird and gross potatoes that neither of us finished, go figure. Anyways that’s one food to knock off my to eat list. Then after lunch we went down to the river to play soccer on the beach which ended up being a sand bar, it was super fun but also super muddy, so we ended up getting a little bit more dirty than planned, it was all good though because after we finished with soccer we went and swam in the river, good times. And that my friends was my super awesome week, hopefully you enjoyed hearing about it. 

Shalom and God Bless

Prayer Request - Corina and Marco

Hey guys I just have a quick, but important, prayer request. Yesterday night, Friday the 21st, Marco, the guy we had been working with and his family were assaulted in their home. After Marco had dropped us off at Kens place he went home and as he was going into his house some guys forced themselves in with him. But instead of writing about it from my limited knowledge of the event, I have put a copy of what Corina had written about the experience below. I hope that you will read it and keep this family in your prayers, thanks!

Well... should we start off with the bad?

Tonight at about 8 o’clock I was upstairs watching baby Einstein with Keiden... it was almost time for bed... Marco had a terribly long day – he left the house this morning just after 6... and still wasn’t home...

I vaguely heard loud voices outside... I didn’t really pay attention... Marco’s parents are here visiting from Peru – his dad is hard of hearing – so I thought Marco had gotten home and they were talking... When I paid closer attention – I realized the voices were angry... Looking out the window I saw a strange man... and was on my way downstairs with Keiden to see what was going on – when I met 3 delinquents with guns pointed at Marco and my inlaws – pushing and shoving them upstairs... Marco told me, “We’re being robbed... just do what they say...”

They had us on the ground (I laid down on the bed with Keiden) and wanted to know where our money and jewels were... “Blondie – give me your cell phone!” I told them it was in the other room (they didn’t take it – its held together with duct tape... they just left it!!!) One guy had the gun waving around at us... threatening to kill us if we moved... or looked at him... Poor Keiden was so scared... and would look at the man yelling, shoving Marco and his dad around (they both have lumps on their heads from being hit with the gun) and he just screamed and screamed... I tried to comfort him and hold him tight... he’d quieted for a bit then he’d get all worried and scream again.. He just couldn’t understand what was happening...

Marco’s dad has high blood pressure – the reason he couldn’t come to our wedding... so while he was on the ground, he needed some water but they wouldn’t let us get him some... While I was there trying to comfort Keiden, I just prayed that no one would get hurt... who cares in that situation about stuff... its lives that count!

They eventually left... threatening us if we came after them... while they were loading our things into their car, Marco told us to hide... and he started throwing the balcony patio furniture at them – hoping that someone might notice and stop them (sorry about the furniture Uncle Norman... they actually held up quite well)... anyhow... that made them get away quick... who knows if they would have come back in for another load otherwise...

What all did they take? Well... they held Marco up when he was parking his truck... kicked him on the ground... and searched him... they took his wedding ring, wallet, some $, documents, keys, bank card... and $900 of El Jordan’s money that he had just gotten out of the bank... Marco’s mom had gone to the gate to help close it... and she got held by her hair and gun point by another guy...

When they had us all lying down... they took the TV, DVD, my vacuum (!!!), our computer... They tried to take Keiden’s music – but his shelf is screwed into the wall (thanks Dad!) and they couldn’t get the cords untangled... The worst is that we had $2000 US (not counting the $900 he had just gotten out of the bank) and 2000 bs. for the boy’s project – tomorrow Marco was supposed to finish paying the dumptruck company for the 50 loads of fill, pay the tractor that leveled it all out... and buy iron that they need for the walls – because our builder says that there is a rumour that iron is going to go up in price and possibly get scarce... All that money was taken...

They even took Keiden’s diaper bag. What is worse than him losing his shoes, bottles and his favorite stuffed dog (!) is that he is so scared... After the robbers left, in his 1 ½ year old language he’d tell me his worried story... and bang his head with his hand... showing me what the “bad men” had done... Heidi stayed with him while Marco and I went to the police station – and he didn’t want out to venture anywhere alone... and any noise made him scared... So you can pray for him... that God will give his little being peace...

Is there good news?

Yes... I thought they had stolen the laptop I take back and forth to El Jordan... We had our first lunch/meeting with our volunteers at El Jordan today so I had my computer over there today... I brought it home... and thought I had left it on the dining room table (that is usually my office at home)... but I had actually left it under a sweater I took for Keiden today just in case it got cold, in my uncle’s room... That is where they had us lying down... without the light turned on so we wouldn’t look at their faces... So... I am SO thankful I didn’t lose all of my info, reports etc that I’ve been working on... and my e-mail addresses – although not up to date because I didn’t use this computer for my letters... I still have the majority... If you know of anyone who has changed their address in the last 8 or 10 months who was on my update list I’d appreciate you sending it to me so I can get it up to date again...

We were worried about them having taken Marco’s truck keys because it has the house keys on it as well... but when I went outside to look for them “just in case” – they had been dropped in some little weeds at the edge of the driveway... Thank you God!

Some other VERY good news? Marco’s dad has military background... 78 years old – his instincts kicked in... and he actually gave a really good kick to the very surprised robber... who lost his balance and dropped his gun... Another guy jumped in – and shot twice at my father-in-law’s head... The gun just went “click, click”... (that’s when he got hit over the head with the revolver) ...but when the robbers were getting away they started shooting again – but this time bullets flew... hmm... It kind of reminds me of a similar story – when someone wanted to steal my truck – shot at me twice – but the gun just went “click, click”... when he was making his get-away, he shot into the air – and his gun worked! What else can we say – but THANK YOU GOD!!! ...and praise Him for his Love, Mercy and Tender Care... What better news can you get than that!!?!

Please pray for my in-laws... they aren’t Christians...and we hope and pray that even this experience might bring them face to face with Christ...

... for Marco – who is having a hard time with the fact that someone shot at and then hit his dad... ...for the boy’s project money that was stolen and needs to be replaced... for El Jordan’s replacement bank card to get here quickly...and for Keiden to forget this scary experience...

Thank you for praying for us... we felt God’s hand tonight... and we thank you... and Him...

Corina for Marco and Keiden

Just one more reason why your prayers for us are important.  Thanks for praying!

Building Relationships

¿Hola cada uno, cómo es usted?

So I thought that I would give you an update on what we have been up to the past three days. If you read my previous blog you would know that we went to help a family build a house through the organization El Jordan. Well Marco liked us so much that he asked Ken if we could help him out the next day with another project. We were told we would be helping build a gate, and so the next morning off we went. 

Seeing as we were only building a gate, we dressed in shorts and t-shirts, didn't wear bug spray or sunscreen and thought nothing of it. Bad mistake, apparently building a gate means getting a property outside the city ready for a barbed wire fence. That being said I will now explain the day.

So we got up and were picked up by Marco at 8 AM, at which point we headed out of the city. Pretty soon we were far off the beaten path and due to the recent rains the roads were definitely not the greatest, but we made it so that was fine. We arrive at a property that is owned by El Jordan and met the couple that looked after it for them, Anna and Santiago. Then after we had picked up a few supplies, a chainsaw, a weed whacker, a couple machetes and black string, we headed out.  

We drove for a couple more minutes and reached another property which El Jordan had just purchased. The land that they had purchased was only part of a property owned by someone else and so a new barbed wire fence was in order. That being said at the time we had no idea what was going on so we just carried the equipment and followed along. 

We walked through the jungle until we reached a path at which point we were told to wait and Marco and Santiago went off ahead. And so we did, standing in the middle of the jungle waiting getting eaten by more bugs than I care to remember, for 15 to 30 minutes. But we made the best of it, we sang some songs and things like that. When the returned they said it was time to go somewhere else so we followed them again, hit another point where they said to wait again and left. Again we waited and again we got bitten by bugs while we sang, it was a good time. Then they came back and we moved on to point three. Point three was a field, at which point they explained to us what was actually happening. Apparently El Jordan has just bought this piece of land and needs to put a fence up, but for a large portion of it the jungle needs to be cleared. 

When you think of buying property in Canada, the land you get is precise and already measured off, not so in Bolivia. How we knew where to clear the trees was by standing in the field beside a tree and visually making a line from a fencepost, to the tree, to a dead tree that you could see up the hill side in the jungle. So Santiago and Marco started clearing trees with their machete as Tim and I directed them from the field. I must tell you it was tiring work ;).

Now although we did not do much for the morning as for physical labour, in the afternoon we got our chance, we were given a turn at clearing trees which was really tiring but a lot of fun. I know that we did not do it nearly as fast as they did, but I also know they were glad to be able to take a break.  

At the end of the day we were quite happy with the work we had done even if we did not get to do as much as expected, and things did not go as we had planned. We were full of mosquito bites, we had sun burn, and our legs were fully scratched up from all the thorns, but we left at the end of the day satisfied and happy. Although it was not one of those situations where we had to do tons or got to witness to someone, I know our efforts were appreciated, we had a really good time, and Marco thought we did great so he asked us back for the next day.

So today and yesterday we went to work with Marco again. This time we were working again with the family building the house, although we did not spend that much time there. The majority of our day was spent driving around picking up supplies. First we picked up the roofing for the house because all the walls had been finished, impressive since it only took two days. We then went and picked up a bunch of random supplies at the market such as door handles and locks and things like that.

After all the running around in the city we went out for lunch and had some beef, which also came with bacon, a nice change from the chicken we have nearly every meal. In the afternoon we went back to the families house and spent some time there. We were able to play with the kids which was really fun and they were super excited. After a couple minutes Christian, the oldest boy brought us out a white coloured drink which we think was corn milk. We drank and bit but did not like it very much so we set out to sneakily pour out the rest while pretending to drink it. This ended up being easier than we thought because right then we went for a walk with the kids. This mean we could fall behind once in a while and pour a bit out, the kids didn't notice and we were able to not offend anyone by not drinking it, hurray! After the walk Marco told us we had to do some more work so we ran around for the rest of the afternoon picking things up and then we went home.

The next day we went back to the house building and did all the work for the floor while the others finished the roof. We were told the ground needed to be level, so we took acement block with a piece of rebar sticking out of the top and went to work flattening the dirt inside the house. After this we went to work placing bricks in a specific pattern for the floor. It took a while but eventually we finished and then we mixed together a cement and sand mixture for the mortar. One of the other guys took it and did the rest of the work on the floor. So for the rest of the day we were able to play with the kids which was super fun. By the end of the day the house was completely finished, impressive since it took a totally of 5 days to complete.

All in all the past few days have been very rewarding with lots of work but also a lot of fun. I can tell already that this trip will be full of great stories, so keep posted to hear some more. Also sorry about the length of this blog and I’ll make sure to keep the rest of my blogs shorter in length. But if you’ve made it this far thanks for reading! 

Gracias Y Dios Bendice

Our First Chances To Serve Outside Ken's House

¿Hola cada uno, cómo es usted?

The past two days have been a little different that this weekend where all we did was sit around and hang out with the guys at Ken's house, so I thought I would post about it. 

On Monday we learned how to take the bus with Ivan, one of the boys from Ken's home. Although he seem slightly confused as to what we were supposed to be doing so rather taking two bus's the entire way we walked for nearly the length of the first bus ride and caught the bus for the last block and then transferred to the bus which took us to Ken's house. Now traveling on a bus in Bolivia is totally different than in Canada, In Bolivia they will continue to pack people on the bus as long as they have money and since it is the main form of transportation they get quite full. So although it can get cramped, it is still a pretty fun time. That being said other than knowing the bus numbers we need to get to Ken's house, we are still quite unsure of how to use the bus system. 

The rest of Monday was spent at Ken's house hanging out with the guys. Once we arrive we helped one of the guys make lunch, whose name I cannot quite remember. It was homemade hamburger patties, rice, potatoes, and a salad. It went quite well if I do say so myself, and was also a lot of fun. Then in the afternoon we spent tons of time playing fooseball and fútbol. We played a two on two fútbol game in the backyard with 2 feet wide nets, which was super fun and hacked around on the road in front of their house. Once that was all done we went to the market and picked up bread for supper which we found out after was the entire supper. The bread was extremely sweet and ended up being one of my favorite meals so far.

The this morning we got up and went out to help with an El Jordan project. El Jordan is a ministry in Santa Cruz which primarily helps families and is run by Corina and her husband Marco. Marco picked us up at around nine and we went off to help a family build a new house. And by house I mean a single room brick house instead of their single room wood house which leaked when it rained. The family consisted of the father Gary, the mother Mary, and their three kids: Gary Jr., Christian, and Monsurat. This was super exciting and once we got their we realized we really didn't know how to help but they ended up having lots of other work for use anyways. We mixed sand and cement for the mortar they used on the house, leveled the ground on their entire lot as well as leveled the slope for the "driveway" which our shovels so that a car could make it up. Later on we also ended up "mowing" the lawn, I say "mowing" because unlike in Canada, they use a machete to cut the grass and then raking the loose grass away. We finished the job but I'm sure it was not nearly as nice as if they had done it and took 5 times longer, but that's all right I guess. 

During the day we were also able to play with the families three kids, a lot, which was by far the best part of the day. We joked and laughed and had a merry old time. We taught them some English words and they taught us some Spanish ones and then Tim went for a walk with them while I finished up the slope on the driveway. On the walk they asked Tim to buy them a pet duck from a lady sitting in her yard, they cost the equivalent of 42 cents each, but Tim decided against it since he didn't know what their dad would think, still an interesting fact though. I feel so blessed to have spent the day with these kids who were so full of joy, it was an awesome experience  and I had a lot of fun. Oh on a different note, for lunch we went to a small restaurant nearby and had some chicken soup in which their were the chicken feet, good times. Also along with the soup we had a dish of chicken and rice, just thought I'd add that.

And that my friends is how our last two days have went, it has been a wonderful time and I am so blessed to have gotten to come to Bolivia, and I know Tim would say the same. 

Finally I would let to ask for your prayer in the following areas:

1. The ability to quickly get a hang of the Spanish language
2. That Tim and I would both stay healthy while on this trip
3. That we would have opportunities each day to grow and teach others.
4. That it would not rain until the family we worked with today has time to put the roof on their new house. Also that God would bless this family, they are an amazing group of people. 
5. That Ken would start to feel better as he is still dealing with the residual effects of Typhoid as well as some issues with a boy who used to be living at Ken's home.

Gracias Y Dios Bendice