June 24, 2013

Bienvenidos a Bolivia!  After a long day and long night, I arrived in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.  The trip went very well (other than not being able to sleep much on the plane).  I had a little “problem” when I got to the Boston airport to check in, however.  I had four suitcases to bring, as Warren (the director of the orphanage) asked me to bring a list of items they need, as well as I was able to get several Pathfinder and Adventurer uniform pieces for the children.  (God is so Good!  It’s amazing how He worked all of that out!  Special “Thank you!” shout-out to Malcolm May of T-shirts To Go for donating the club t-shirts for the kids.  They turned out great!)  So I go to the American Airlines counter to check in only to find out that there is an embargo in place and no one is allowed to take more than 2 suitcases!  After discussing the situation with the agent and praying and asking the Lord to make a way for me to get everything I needed to Bolivia, the agents said that I could only take two pieces of luggage, but I could pack 70-lbs in each instead of just 50-lbs if I pay the overweight charge.  So, I set out to re-pack things, leaving everything that wasn’t essential for my brother to take back to his house (Thanks Josh!).  An hour later, I had two suitcases right at 70-lbs each.  So I go back to the counter and another agent assists me.  However, he told me that the embargo also prohibited taking more than 50-lbs each suitcase.  :(  I explained to him what the other agent had told me.  He then went and spoke with his supervisor, who approved me to take 70-lbs per suitcase.  Praise God!  Not only that, but the agent waived the overweight fee for both suitcases!  So even though there was a trial, God granted me a double blessing!  So I’m off to the plane and ready for whatever adventure awaits me in Bolivia.

We arrived about 45 minutes late due to a delay.  Then it took about an hour to get through migrations.  But everything went very smoothly and all of my luggage made it safely to Santa Cruz with nothing missing or lost.  Again, another blessing.  Warren and Richard (another missionary) were there waiting for me at the airport and we immediately left.  We went to Richard’s home, where his wife had brunch hot and ready for us to eat when we got there.  Fresh papaya, homemade bread, homemade peanut butter and a hot cereal made from quinoa and sesame milk....absolutely delicious!!  After eating, Warren took me on a tour of the mission’s property here in Santa Cruz and introduced me to some of the volunteers and staff.  Everyone that I have met here have been super friendly! He showed me the TV studio (where videos are being produced and edited and aired locally), the aviation landing strip, future home of the hangars, future home of an education building and staff housing.  They have a very nice piece of property here and God has truly blessed them in their efforts to reach people all over Santa Cruz and Bolivia with the Gospel. 

After the tour, we headed back to downtown Santa Cruz to go to the bank, get pictures for my extended visa and go to the grocery store.  We talked a lot about the orphanage, the kids there, their needs, projects, plans, etc.  I’m really looking forward to getting there and meeting the children.  Tomorrow, we’ll spend most of the day completing the necessary paperwork, etc. for my visa.  If all goes as planned, we’ll leave Wednesday night on a bus to Rurrenabaque, where the orphanage is.  It’s a long bus ride (about 20 hours!), so we should get there around 8:00pm on Thursday.  Part of me is not looking forward to a 20-hour road trip....but it will be a good chance to see the countryside.  So no complaints here...:)

As I sit here typing this, I hear the rain falling on the metal roof of the home I’m staying in.  And I can’t help but think about all of the many blessings the Lord has showered upon me from the onset of this mission trip.  He has met my every need, made every provision, blessed me with family and friends who have generously supported me financially and, more importantly, with their prayers, allowed me to arrive safely here and the list goes on.  What an Awesome and Mighty God we serve!!

Now I think I’ll take advantage of this rain-on-the-roof symphony and get to bed a little early.  Those two hours of sleep on the plane just didn’t cut it!  :)  Until next time...

God bless!  Maranatha!

June 25, 2013

What a great night’s rest!!  :)  I went to bed about 7:30 pm and slept until 7:00 am.  Can’t remember the last time I slept so long.  Evidently I was quite tired.  I awoke to the light pitter-patter of rain on the roof and a rooster’s crow.  I got up, had my morning worship, ate breakfast and met Warren to go into town to start my extended visa work.  We were supposed to meet Ximena (a lawyer that works for the mission office and is an expert at everything dealing with visas!) at 9:00 at the office.  We went to the road to catch the bus or a taxi, but evidently the rain kept most of them from the road, because not a single one passed while we were out there.  After about 20 minutes or so in the rain, we decided to come back inside and figure out a “Plan B”.  We were able to get another missionary to take us to the main road (about 4 miles away) for us to catch a bus.  No sooner had he dropped us off that a bus pulled up.  We got to the office, made copies of my passport and started our trek through town.  First stop was the police station.  I had to get a background check from the local police.  Then we had to go to a notary public to sign some papers.  Then to Interpol, where I had to get another background check from them.  Finally, I had to go to a clinic and have blood drawn to check for HIV/AIDS.  This may not sound like a lot, but it took almost 3 hours to do, as we had to zig-zag across town to get to each place, not to mention the traffic and rain.  But God is Good and we were able to get everything done before the offices closed.  If any of you have had to do this type of thing in a third-world country, you know that is a miracle in itself!  Warren and I then went to eat lunch at an oriental vegetarian restaurant.  They had such a variety of food!  I wanted to try some of everything, but there was just no way....but I did my best.  :)  The food was absolutely delicious!  And best yet...only cost me about $4.00. 

After eating, Warren and I stayed at the restaurant and talked.  He’s a great guy who really loves the Lord and has a passion for mission work.  Turns out he’s been to Macon!  Small world, I guess.  We talked until about 2:45 when our driver came to get us (a friend of the mission) to take us to our next very important destination...the Apple store! Evidently I left my macbook charger in the States, so I had to get a replacement.  Luckily, the city is big enough that is has an apple store and they had some in stock.  Otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this blog now.  :)  After that, we stopped to get some fresh fruit...bananas, oranges and tangerines.  Then we came back to the mission for the rest of the day.

It has rained most of the day, which after raining all day yesterday, has started to reap havoc in parts of the area.  Several roads have flooded, so much so that cars cannot safely pass on them.  Many of the roads are dirt roads and those are all but closed.  And the weather forecast says the rain will continue throughout this week and next week!  So it looks like it’s going to be a challenging week for the people of Santa Cruz and surrounding areas.  Warren spoke with someone at the orphanage today and was told that it was raining a lot there as well. With all this rain, there’s a good chance the bus won;t make the trip to Rurrenabaque, as a good portion of that trip is on dirt roads.  The bus wouldn’t be able to make it through without getting stuck.  We figured, then, that we would take a bus to Trinidad, Bolivia and then a taxi-type service from Trinidad to Rurre, as a car can better maneuver the roads.  But even a car may not be able to make it through if it rains a lot.  But that was our only option...or so we thought.  Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thought.”  It turn out that one of the mission pilots is heading out to pick up some people near Rurre to bring them back to the mission here to Santa Cruz, so he is going to fly Warren and I to Rurre Thursday morning.  It’s amazing how God makes a way out of no way.  And in this case, God’s way was literally higher than ours!  :)

So day 2 in Bolivia has been a great one, just like day 1.  Things are going very well and I am constantly reminded of God’s love and care.

Still haven’t been able to call anyone back in the States yet.  I haven’t been able to get to an internet cafe yet, but maybe tomorrow.  We’ll have to wait and see what the day holds.  We’re supposed to go back to town tomorrow afternoon to buy Bibles for some of the orphans, as well as for another mission project.

Please keep Gospel Ministries International and it’s many projects in your prayers.  Several are facing some serious financial problems at the moment.  People are anxiously waiting for Christian schools to open, Christian TV channels and radio stations to air, churches to open, etc. and all of the above are in place almost ready to start, but funds are lacking to finalize them.  But as I have witnessed time and time again, nothing is impossible for our God and He is not limited by money, time, etc.  I know He will provide as He always does.  The question is, “Will we trust Him and allow Him to use us to meet these needs of our brothers and sisters around the world?”

Thanks again for your prayers!!  They mean the world to me and I know that God is hearing and answering them.  May God bless each of you in a very special way!

Maranatha!