Monday, August 18, 2008

Return of the boss.


Soo we said a bunch more goodbyes this week… Rach left Wednesday night, Adrian left Thursday night and Tiffany moved out on Thursday. The house is so empty it almost echoes… Why does everything have to happen at the same time?!!
Adrian is off to language school in Peru, then to Quito to work with a youth ministry there with IT, then off to explore a million other countries. He was a fantastic brother, we were all very grateful for his kindness, and super funny sense of humor. He was also a good baker, he enjoyed treating us girls to dinner and dessert often. In fact the day after he left Jen, Katie S. and I decided to go on a sweets fast since we have gotten so used to having sweets around all the time. I feel healthier already!!
I got my plane ticket to come home--December 16th is the lucky day!! (That day also happens to be my Mom’s birthday, I hope I’m a good present!  ) That gives me four more months here. Whew! That doesn’t sound like very much, but there are days when it feels like an eternity!
On Saturday we did a “Hygiene Day” with the kids at Villa Israel. A bunch of the kids have not been there very long, and usually come from poorer neighborhoods or the Campo (countryside), therefore cleanliness is not something they’ve grown up with. Kim did a puppet show and Aldo the psychologist talked about the importance of being clean outside, but also inside—having a clean conscience, asking forgiveness for wrongs, etc. We also brought some liquid soap (Aldo told Roberto that when he got a bit older the girls would like that he had clean, good smelling hands!), stools for the littler ones to reach the sink and toothpaste and toothbrushes. I was shocked by how excited the kids were!! Brandon ran up behind Kim and gave her a really big hug and thanked her, sometimes it’s the littlest things that get kids excited! It’s really sweet to see the older kids there interact with the little ones. They’re so protective and gentle. It makes me really happy, and kinda proud too, not that I taught them that, but that I get to work with such sweethearts!!
The Timmers come back next week. From what I’ve heard they’ve had a good time visiting supporters, hanging out as a family, and reuniting with old friends. They did get to go see a bunch of people from Bedford (you may recall that we had an AMAZING team from Bedford a few months back, they’re also sending another team this fall…can’t wait!).
Well, that’s about it for now…have a fantastic day! I hope to put up some more pictures this week…so keep checking the foto site (go to my complete profile and there will be a link to it.)
God bless!
Kristen

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Birthdays!


Dear Readers,
Rach arrived two weeks ago, she pretty much just blended right in as an intern! I think that’s the best way to experience what we do here…
Last week we had lunch with the IT Latin-American directors. It was really great to hear their insights; they also are good friends with Darryl, my former boss who was a missionary in Costa Rica with IT for three years.
On our visit out to Villa Israel last week, as we were greeting all the kids and Charlie (house dad) I noticed that Charlie had a bandage on his head as well as scratches all over his face. I, obviously, was curious and asked what had happened. He told me that he was assaulted and robbed on Sunday night at the Terminal, and roughed up a bit… when things like that happen you are obviously glad to be alive still, but feel very shaky and in a way… violated. Knowing that you’re not even safe in your own hometown is really unsettling.
This last week we started a new schedule so it was nice to have things mixed up a bit… here’s a typical schedule of our week:

lunes (Monday) Meeting with the bosses
Communication day (updates, blogs, etc).
Babysit.

martes (Tuesday) Spanish class.
Center.
Girls’ Bible Study (Spanish)

miercoles (Wednesday) Build bunkbeds.
Center.

jueves (Thursday) Villa Israel.
Dinner with Matt + Elsa
Intern Bible Study.

viernes (Friday) Frutillar tutoring.

sabado (Saturday) Frutillar tutoring.
Young Professionals (Spanish).

domingo (Sunday) Church.
Babywashing

Rachel got her wisdom teeth out this weekend-on her BIRTHDAY! But she needed to get them out in enough time that she can travel, but soon enough so she can do things the day or two before she leaves too…Surgery was a bit roughter than they expected, so they gave her some extra sedative so she slept a lot. But she’s doing a lot better now, and I’ve been getting some nursing practice! The Olympics also started this weekend—also on Rachel’s birthday so we’ve been camping out at Matt and Elsa’s (so Rachel could recover, also for a break from our house since this weekend was a big vote all over the country and we were encouraged to just be careful to keep a low profile). I LOVE the summer Olympics!!
Wednesday was my birthday and the whole country celebrated…’though they didn’t exactly know that was what they were celebrating, you see it was also Bolivia’s Independence Day. I got to talk to my parents and my twin!!
Monday was Katie S.'s birthday...what a crazy week for birthdays. Katie S., Me, Bolivia and Rachel!
Well, I guess that’s about it…
Have a GREAT week everybody!
Love.
Kristen