A lot has changed-and so have we.

 We are now parents of a ONE year old!

It's a joy to experience life with Sonny and definitely a challenge to depend on the Lord as we try to teach him to be a wise, responsible, respectful, obedient child. 

A vehicle!

Cars are very expensive here (compared to the USA) and although we had some money saved up, we definitely did not have enough for a vehicle that would be big enough to haul around a lot of volunteers and take us on rough roads. The Lord provided a grant to help us pay for an upgrade! (I like it because it has a lot of space for people, lots of cupholders and is a pretty color!) 

Covid-19

Like everywhere else in the world Covid hit us hard! Lots of families have been affected deeply and the Lord has provided for us to be able to help many families and individuals in these days. 

CdR Ministry

We have a really great leadership team, staff and volunteers and we are even more grateful for the opportunities to spend time with them and see how God is working in their lives. We aren't able to be open at normal capacity, but we are finding that this time is allowing us the opportunity to do things we can't normally do when we are open at normal capacity. :) 

Political Unrest

Last October following the presidential elections there were 3 weeks of blockades, conflicts, and lots of tension leading up to the presidents' resignation and flight from Bolivia. We spent Thanksgiving with a new perspective and a deeper gratitude for the peace that the Lord gave (both personally during that time and to the country as a whole following the resolution to the conflicts).  But one thing that hasn't changed is that we still love living here and we are so thankful to all of you who pray, encourage and support us so we can remain here. Thank you!!

2019-A year of (more) transitions

 We spent two months in the USA December 2018 to January 2019 and got one of the biggest surprises of our lives when we found out that we're expecting a little one this August! We trust and rejoice in the Lord's timing-and an extra sweet bonus was that my mom got to be with us for our first sonogram! :)

 We began renting the entire CdR building. Upstairs is now housing for our two single intern/staff girls, ESL classrooms, and a sleep shelter for women in need/transition. Here you can see that we have a LOT of ESL students this year! We are thankful for the bigger space for so many opportunities like these.

Our bosses the Guerrero's left last month, so when this team came from Montana two weeks before their departure they left it all in our charge. They were still here and helped with a lot of things, but we were stretched in our abilities to work as a team, coordinate activities, meals, and practical day-to-day things for them. But it was a great experience and a great team!

We had a going away party for the Guerreros the weekend before they left. We all cried. A lot. But we trust and rejoice in God's timing (again) and purpose in leading them back to the USA. Now Richard, Lesly, Joel and I remain in leadership. We have two other staff members who work in the Cafe, one intern who helps with ESL classes (one more intern coming for 6 months will arrive this Saturday), and lots of volunteers! Please pray with us for God's wisdom and guidance as we take on this big job of leading and serving these young people. May God receive all the glory-and may He give us the strength to represent Him well here.

The enemy of gratitude and contentment...

I've been enjoying listening to some sessions from The Gospel Coalition 2019 National Conference . One of my favourites so far has been by Trip Lee called Faith and Healing. (If you have 48.28 minutes, WATCH IT!) I can't get some of the things he said out of my head. So I'll put it here, in case it's as challenging for you in your growth as it has been for me this past week.
He was talking about the Centurion in Matthew 8, and how he humbly approached Jesus asking Him to heal his daughter. And he said this:

"We can be tempted to think that the opposite of gratitude is silence [not saying thank you], 

but the opposite of gratitude isn't silence; it's entitlement.  

And that entitlement is the enemy of contentment. 

We will struggle with gratitude and contentment [until] we understand that everything we have is a gift from Jesus". 

And that's a really big problem for me sometimes. I get jealous, or feel sorry for myself or think that I somehow deserve...whatever it is that I want. But really when I realise who I am and who God is it becomes abundantly clear that I don't deserve all the good things that I want...nor did I deserve all the good things I was given. It's a GIFT from a perfect God to a lowly sinner and that makes it all that much more wonderful.  So these days I really am making a conscious effort to see God's hand in everything and truly be grateful. And I find that I'm so much happier when I look at it that way. (As it should be).

A time to be single… 4 of the things I've learned.

I'm 32 years old and in 32 days I will be getting married. Some days I didn't know if this would ever happen, and honestly most of the time I was content with that…because I knew (because I had learned over and over) that no matter what humans were my "rock", they would fail me but that God was always faithful. Therefore, even if it was only ever me and Him, it was going to be okay. That said, I'm very thankful for my future husband. He is so good for me in many ways and I can see God's hand in our relationship over the past few years. Meeting Joel was fun, becoming friends was exciting and getting to know him as a boyfriend and fiancé has been an adventure...and I know that this is just the beginning.

The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3

After one of the particularly frustrating days of paperwork we were talking about the really happy days, and the sad days we'd experienced together and how through it all God has things to teach us. And I totally believe that is true in the season of singleness. Sure, there were moments or days of loneliness, adventure and spontaneity (sometimes intermingled), but God taught me many things. So I wanted to share some for those of you who are single, or those of you who know single people so we keep learning what it means to enjoy every season, and encourage others.

1. Make each other feel welcome.  It was/is fun to be apart of the lives of my friends and their families. I don't know if I can even count all of the couches and spare beds I've slept on, the cars I've borrowed, the meals, coffees, desserts I've been given, babies I've held, house keys I've been entrusted with, or parties I've attended. I feel blessed. I've loved seeing friends getting married, friends going into retirement and friends graduating high school (or preschool). Mostly I think I'm trying to say that I believe that it's good for all of us to have friends in various seasons, maturity and late phases.

2.  Make each other feel valued in whatever life stage you are. If they are married encourage them in their marriage; if they have new babies, encourage them that they will get sleep someday and maybe hold the baby so they can take a shower or make themselves a coffee; if they are parenting teenagers…wish them luck, haha!,  if they are single don't feel like it's your job to set them up. God has His timing for all of us, and we should enjoy it!

3. Remember that you are where you are for a reason.  God is very purposeful with us, we just can't always see it. I'm sure all of us can look to five years ago and never would have imagined a lot of the things we experienced during that time-and sometimes He gives us a window to see why things went a certain way. Remember those things, and be encouraged that you have a God that is incredibly personal and loving. He is a good, good father.

4. Remember that God is your only faithful traveling companion.  It's okay to feel emotional about the struggles of your particular season of life I think…but I think it's important to look beyond whatever emotion that evokes. I don't know that I've always done especially well with this. I remember some times of profound loneliness (sometimes because of not having a spouse, but sometimes just because I didn't have any local friends after yet another move) and feeling consumed by that. I remember making really big decisions and feeling like God was truly the only one who knew or could understand why. (Because sometimes He calls us to do crazy stuff). When you're single, sometimes you just feel very alone. I don't know exactly how it feels when you're married…but I think it's safe to say that your spouse will disappoint you sometimes (and you them) and you might still have times of loneliness, because none of us are perfect except God, and He will always, always accompany us on the journey of life.

So I know getting married isn't going to make my life perfect, in fact I think it's going to reveal a lot of ugly things about my heart, and sin that still lives in there- but I'm sure that God wants to use this season as well, to make me more like Him.  So there is a time to be single, and for some of us, a time to be married, but for all of us there is always time to be thankful.

Where I'm at in 2018

Well it's been a really long time since I've updated this, so I should let you know what life looks like for me now-a-days. Since I moved to Cochabamba a lot of things have changed so here I'll answer some questions you might have.

Where do you live:
Since July of last year I have lived in the city of Cochabamba. I house-sat for two months for a friend and decided that it was time to move to the city. So as I was looking for a place in the same neighborhood, one night while walking home I saw a sign on a gate for an apartment for rent, only 1/2 block from where I was staying. It all worked out beautifully and I moved in September. It's a small, modest apartment but just right for me. I also have a pet rabbit named Lolo.

Where do you work:
My primary responsibility these days is as the director of the ESL program at Ciudad de Refugio (CdR). CdR is cafe a few blocks from the local university. We hope to provide a safe place for college students where if need be they can also find help and guidance for their lives. We offer games, inexpensive food, English classes, activities (concerts),  opportunities to volunteer in the community and counseling.  I schedule, enroll, teach, and oversee classes. We currently have four interns for the summer.  I also spend some time co-leading a Bible study for young ladies and when I can, helping at a Saturday Kids Club.


What about community there? 
I attend the Cochabamba International Church and with a few couples who live in the neighborhood we have a weekly Bible Study.
I also am engaged to a young man from here named Joel. We will be married next month.  He loves the Lord and helps me grow in my relationship with Him as well.

Christmas is coming…

Hello friends! Christmas is right around the corner and so I just want to share a few opportunities for you to bless some kids here in Bolivia. (And by blessing them you'll also be a huge blessing to those who serve them here too!)

Kids Club. This is what I do with the Vargas' every Saturday! I've become quite fond of the little ones who play frisbee; duck, duck, goose; and relays every Saturday, listen to Bible stories and then ask me about the zombies, and can't stop hugging me when they find me in the multitude of children.  Every Christmas we pray and trust God to provide gifts and snacks for 1000 children, family gifts for 200 families with consistent attendance, and prizes for the children with the highest grades. Maybe you want to be a part of that?  (We estimate we will need around $8,000 USD)

Navidad en Bolivia. This is where my friend Katie works. When I lived here in 2008, I also served with this team. They hope to provide gifts for about 80 kids who regularly attend the center for help with homework.  For $16 you can sponsor a kid…and check out their self-portraits. They are some of my favorite little artists!

When we choose the wrong boss

Do you remember being a child and taking suggestions from a sibling…when you got in trouble for not obeying mom, you find yourself sheepishly trying to defend yourself by saying "but ____ told me to do it this way!", "Is she the mom?", my mom would inevitably ask. I remember my stomach sinking realizing how right she was.  What happens when you take instructions from the wrong authority? In life, work, school, family, etc. We get ourselves in trouble!  It's the same in our lives as christians.  If we take our cues from the world, we end up contradicting the very God we should be representing. 
In my Romans class in Bible school we talked about how even though sin is still present in our lives as believers, it no longer is our master! We've died to that life, and now live for Christ, meaning He is the only one we have to listen to!  
I think of how much time I spend doing things that make absolutely no difference in the big picture of living to please Christ, I think of how secular music, movies, conversations about superficial things, and other things take up way more time than actually studying God's Word. If my goal as a christian is to become like Christ-which it is-then shouldn't my focus be on what HE has to say? If as a church (a body of believers…a group of people who want to know, represent and share the God of the Bible with the world) our goal is indeed to be set apart from the world, ambassadors of Christ, and messengers of His good news of HOPE to the world we are going to have to know Him. Know His heart and His character, His love and His plan for the world.   

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, 

as though God were making an appeal through us; 

we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 

2 Corinthians 5:20 NASB

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, 

for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, 

equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

So WHY IN THE WORLD are we looking to the world to tell us what love actually is, how christians are supposed to act, what's appropriate and cool, what relationships are supposed to look like, etc, etc, etc?  Should we not rather be looking to God? 

Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. 

If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant. Gal. 1:10 NLT

It's my challenge for all of us to look to our Savior who indeed shows the greatest love, not by letting us remain as we were but saving us from ourselves and from our sin so we can enjoy LIFE abundantly in a relationship with Him.

Greater love has no one than this, 

that one lay down his life for his friends. 

John 15:13 NASB

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 

I am the good shepherd. 

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 

John 10:10-11 ESV