One month down and still going strong

Hello to one and all!
It’s been a great week, and I’m finally starting to feel like I know my way around…at least a little bit! I made it to Spanish class solo and didn’t even get lost!
The week was full of doing kid stuff, as well as a few other random things thrown in there. I met some new friends, got to play with a lot of kids, chaperone a youth event, etc, etc.
Saturday for lunch our Spanish teacher had us all over for an authentic Bolivian meal. Michelle was commenting that there is no way that she can be making money off of us when she feeds us so well!! It was very sweet, she is a great lady as is her family. Very hospitable.
We played soccer with the kids from Muyurina (the orphanage close to our house). Received custom flower crowns from the kids at the plaza principal (where we do baby washing. It was canceled this week due to roadblocks so we played with the kids instead). Went to a birthday party for Miguel (from Villa Israel orphanage-the one that’s really far away from our house) he turned seven and reminds me of my little brother Tim, except he’s Bolivian. Jaclyn made a really yummy cake for the party. I had my first tutoring session at Villa Israel on Tuesday. My little guy is named Samuel. He’s in Kindergarten and I’m pretty sure he has a longer attention span than me!! (This is us!)I think tutoring is one of the most rewarding things ever! It was so exciting when he would figure out how to make his 2s right, or when he got the hang of adding 0 to numbers. And we are doing a Spanish memory verse together. That’s good for me too! Friday morning we’ll go back there to tutor the other 4 kids who are in school on Tuesday afternoons.
Oh, yeah. The youth event. We had a scavenger hunt type of thing, last week. (the youth group from the Timmers, and the interns’ church). They asked me to come be an “adult chaperone”. It rained all day and I was wearing flip flops-horrible combination for running around town. I was sliding around like Michelle Kwan!! (Well maybe not quite that graceful!). Anyway, I fell once, then broke my flip flop, so here I was running around Cochabamba barefoot! I’m so thankful that I didn’t step on any broken glass! I had a group of 7 (GREAT) girls, missionary kids and a couple cochabambinas. It was great fun. I also met a few college girls, who are Bolivians. Twins, and their older sister by one year. (Just like me, Kate and Rach!!) They are from a family of 10 kids! It’s no wonder we hit it off so well!!
Tuesday night I went to a ladies bible study with Jaclyn and Michelle. I was so excited that I understood basically everything!! Obviously it’s so much better to go to a Spanish church when you understand what’s going on. …Speaking of…the search continues for a church. L I think I may have another one or two leads, though.
We have a lot of work to do this week getting the hacienda ready for teams coming in March, as well as helping Mike out with research.
FYI, if anyone is interested in helping out with the organization let me know. We are always looking for partners to get new orphanages built, or furnished, or school clothes bought, etc.
At the bible study the other night we were talking about Romans, and we read:
For one will hardly die for a righteous man;
though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7-8-emphasis mine).
Now I memorized that verse when I was probably in like first grade, and I knew what it was talking about. I have read it probably 40 times since then, it’s even highlighted in my bible, But for some reason last night I was hit with the reality of it. That I might die for a good person, IF they were a good friend, but I would most definitely not be surrendering my life for a bad person, or probably even a good person if I didn’t know them. But Jesus died for us, and we are hopelessly bad people, He died for all of those (us) people who sentenced him to death, spit on Him, beat Him, kicked Him out of their cities, only wanted to see Him so that He would heal them, etc. Why? I just can’t fathom that great of love. So, yeah, just thought I’d share that.
Hope all of you are doing well. I miss you like CRAZY! I’m still going to put up pictures one of these days. I think that computers here don’t really like to upload pix...because it takes FOREVER!!
Fight the good fight, finish the course, keep the faith… (~2 Tim 4:6-8)
Kristen