And the crisis continues...

We just finished watching the mid-day news.  It was intersting.  The news from La Paz and Cochabamba was not good.  Thousands of people in the streets protesting...blockades everywhere, including the main highways into the city...tires burning...people fighting with police...all the usual stuff that happens when Bolivians get annoyed.  In Oruro they even set off pieces of dynamite in the city centre.

As as side note, I was once having breakfast in Cochabamba with a friend (who had just arrived from the States the day before), when a demonstration of miners went by.  All of a sudden there was an explosion that rocked the restaurant.  I remained calm, so that my friend wouldn't be freaked out.  My friend made the comment, "Wow...that sounded like dynamite!"  But I was like, "No, no...I'm sure it wasn't."  Later I asked the father of the Bolivian family where I was staying, if it was in fact dynamite.  "Oh sure" he says, "But just a small piece."

Welcome to the Bolivian protest.

What I think was most interesting today was not who was protesting...pretty much everyone...but rather who wasn't protesting.  That would be us.  By "us" I mean Santa Cruz.  It's relatively calm here so far.  I say "so far" because we're a little slower on the uptake sometimes, but when we evenutally get there, we can protest with the best of them. 

But the thing is, La Paz...Cochabamba...Oruro...those are the bastions of Evo's support.  His strongholds so to speak.  They love Evo there.  But you sure wouldn't know that to see the news today.  There were thousands of people on the streets marching to the Presidential Palace this morning.  And they weren't happy.  Some of the groups that support Evo the most were a bit slow in commenting, but they all eventually came out against the president.

Here in Santa Crua?  Well...we're talking about getting together to rally at 3 PM.  That should give lunch enough time to settle I think.  =)  Other than that...things are pretty much normal.  I got up at 6 AM to drive everyone to work and whatnot, only to find that pretty much all the buses were running normal.  The even funnier thing is, that annoyed the daylights out of a lot of people here.  That the buses were running I mean.  People are upset and they want to see a response from Santa Cruz as well. 

Which is why I say I think things will eventually get going here too.  Right now people are still recovering from Christmas (which was Evo's plan in the first place) and we're also a little less political than the rest of the country.  I wrote on my Facebook that we're lovers not fighters.  That's true...to a point.  When Santa Cruzians eventually get organized, I think we'll see some serious responses.  Who knows though.  If I've learned one thing, it's that you can't predict what people here will do in the political arena.

What we do know for sure, is that this is going to be a difficult time for a lot of people.  We're all trying to prepare.  Grocery stores and markets have already been marking up their prices.  Buses have doubled their fares.  This is going to affect everything.  Like one guy on the news said, "What doesn't need to be transported?" 

Evo has said that this won't affect the poorest in the country.  Sadly, that's who will be affected the most.  The government has promised that wages will go up in February to match inflation and the added cost of living the lack of these fuel subsidies will have.  That's great for people in official type jobs.  But for the majority of the poorest, they'll just have to try and survive on what they're getting now.  Which isn't enough.

The finance minister also said that prices should stabilize by the middle of January.  I can't imagine he actually believes that.  We won't see stable prices here for months..maybe even more than a year...because of this.

I actually do understand the government's reasoning (to a degree) behind removing the subsidy.  But the way in which they've gone about this is incredibly insensitive.  For a government that prides itself on being one with the people, they are completely clueless about what this means for them.  When you're making $140 (or less) a month and suddenly you're paying $40 of that for bus fare.  That's incredibly difficult.  That's why we had the sudsidies in the first place.

Ah well...this is what makes life here in Bolivia an adventure.  Thanks for praying everyone.  As I said before, there are ramifications for us as well, that I'm still trying to think through.  It's going to be interesting time for all of us.

   

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La Jornada...the Video!

Our story...the video.

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Bolivia in crisis...again...

UPDATE BELOW


Let’s see...Bolivia has been crisis free for what? Like six months? So I guess it seems we were due. Yesterday morning...the day after Christmas, keep in mind...our President announced that the government would be eliminating the fuel subsidy it’s been paying since, well...basically forever. When would they be doing away with the subsidy, you ask?

Monday morning.

That would be today. As of this morning gasoline and diesel prices doubled. We went from paying around 70 cents Canadian a litre to paying $1.40. In one night. Imagine what would happen in Canada if gas went from say 90 cents a litre to $1.80 overnight. And that’s in a country with a stable, relatively strong economy.

Evo (our President) had a whole list of reasons why he was doing this. Some were reasonable...as he said, every year the government is paying more and more for these subsidies. That I can understand. Other reasons on the list were less sound. He figures this will help curb drug trafficking because the traffickers will have to pay more to transport their drugs. ‘Cause you know...drug traffickers can’t afford to pay higher transportation costs.

At any rate, the issue is that he decided to do this with a day’s notice. Most of the buses in the city didn’t run today in protest. The buses that did run had already doubled their fares. Taxis had almost tripled what they normally ask. In a city that relies almost completely on public transportation for people to get to work, manufacturing and retail pretty much ground to a halt. The news was reporting that people were waiting two or three hours to try and get a bus.

It’s hard to imagine all of the repercussions this will have here. Everything from food production to manufacturing to transportation of goods will be affected. Everything we buy and eat is trucked in from outside the city, which means everything will become more expensive. A huge percentage of our population barely survives now...how will they be able to afford even higher prices. Not to mention living on a lower wage since bus fares will significantly cut into what money they’re able to bring home. How will small farmers survive if they’ll be paying double to bring their goods into market?

This could potentially throw Bolivia into turmoil. It’s always hard to know how things will turn out, but people are upset. I think right now everyone is still in shock, but as the reality of what’s happened sets in, it could become more intense. Governments in Bolivia have fallen for lesser reasons than this.

Certainly our ministry and others like El Jordan will be impacted. How will El Jordan’s students afford to travel to classes every day? I spoke with Corina this morning and I asked her what this will mean for them.  She said that at this point she had no idea.  She said that, "This will change everything." 

For us here at the house, we already pay more for bus fare than we do for food. Our financial situation is difficult right now...what’s that going to look like if our transportation costs double? Not to mention all the other increases we can expect.

As you can imagine, this has many people upset and worried. I’ve been thinking and praying about this situation all morning (I’m dreading heading to the gas station). I’m confident that God will bring us through this...He hasn’t brought us this far to abandon us now...but obviously it’s a huge concern for us. This will no doubt mean more suffering for a nation that is already struggling.

Please pray for Bolivia today. Pray for our leadership, that they would have compassion and wisdom. Pray for the people, that they would respond with strength but in a calm and reasoned way. Pray for the ministries that at work here, not only that God will continue to provide, but that we would have wisdom in our decisions and in how we respond. It’s easy to feel like this is one more thing on a long list of frustrations. So please pray that we would remain faithful and be at peace, no matter what the future brings.

Thanks everyone! I’ll keep you updated...

UPDATE:

There was more on the news today about the fuel crisis.  That's pretty much all they're talking about.  Blocades (the old Bolivian protest standard) have gone up north of the city here in Santa Cruz, as well as in La Paz and a number of other cities.  There was some fighting in a few of the highland cities, but nothing in Santa Cruz so far.  Some buses were running today, but most were still on strike. 

The blocade north of the city already has about 200 semi trucks lined up, and that number will continue to grow overnight.  I'm sure other blocades will go up as well.  It'll be interesting to see what happens in the coming days.  President Evo seems pretty determined (he always is) but he's losing supporters fast.  It's tough to be ideological when something's hitting you hard in the wallet.  The blocade here is being organized by one of his staunchest supporters in the last election. 

This could blow over.  It's hard to say.  Political issues in Bolivia are tough to call.  It could also get bigger and bigger.  We haven't had much in the way of political messes for awhile, so either the people will be tired of it all or they'll be rarin' for a fight.  I'd probably put my money on the second one.  But we'll see.

Thanks for praying everyone.  I'll let you know what happens.

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A Christmas recap....

When I was a kid, Christmas was an easy holiday. All I had to do was sit there, try not to tell anyone what they were getting for Christmas (I usually only knew like, two gifts and most years I made a deal with one of my brothers to tell them what they were getting if they told me what I was getting. So...let’s just call that even)...and eat a lot of junk food. Oh...and stay in bed until the big hand was on the twelve and the little hand was on the seven.

It seemed like a lot when I was young...but now? Piece of cake. Especially the part about staying in bed.

These days, now that I’m mostly an adult, I’ve learned that Christmas can be a lot of work. Especially in a country without a Superstore or a Walmart. Or a mall. Granted, I’ll be the first to admit that I tend to put things off until the last minute and starting to shop for twenty one people on the 23rd of December probably added to my work load a little.

Fortunately I live in a country of Ken’s and no one else started any sooner either, so...it was all good. The market Christmas Eve was...beyond describing. I’ve mentioned this market before...it’s huge and jammed with little shops all randomly thrown together. Until you’ve Christmas shopped with 10, 000 of your closest neighbours....you haven’t really Christmas shopped. At one point Andres (who was helping me) and I walked out onto one of the larger aisles and in both directions it was so jammed with people I wasn’t even sure where to go. People were literally pressed right up against each other. I looked at him and the crowd of heads and said, “That makes me want to cry.”

We left the market at about 7:30 PM and the line of cars trying to get in went on for blocks. This was Christmas EVE! Bolivians celebrate Christmas Eve at midnight. That’s like us in Canada shopping Christmas morning at 6 AM. Which granted, some of us probably would if we could. But not EVERYONE.

Like I said, we got back to the house at 9 PM (I had some grocery shopping to do as well). Fortunately Maribel had organized the guys and the 10 kilos (22 lbs) of pork was already cooking in the oven. I came home with a happy supply of fireworks and firecrackers, so we fired off a few of those to get things warmed up. When we were buying them, I’d told Andres that most of what we were getting was illegal in Canada. He was surprised and couldn’t figure out why. Then we lit off a firecracker called a “Mother-in-Law Killer” (don’t blame me...I didn’t name it) and it threw a rock back across the yard and hit a kid in the back leaving a big welt. I turned to Andres and said, “That’s why they’re illegal in Canada...”

Speaking of the “Mother-in-Law Killers”....I guess technically they’re “prohibited” now (illegal). I asked Andres to ask the guy if he had any and Andres said that he was sure the guy didn’t. I told him to ask anyhow. It was like we were buying drugs...Andres kind of turned his head away from the crowd and asked in a low voice if the guy had some. The guy didn’t say anything, he just gave a quick nod and then pulled a box out from underneath the table. It was kind of awesome. And before you all write me and tell how bad that was....what father hasn’t bought his kid illegal fireworks at some point in their lives. It just makes me a good dad. Or if not a good dad, at least a cool one.

At midnight we, and one point five million other people in Santa Cruz, fired off as many fireworks and firecrackers as we could. The entire horizon lit up like we were in a war zone. If you haven’t experienced it, it’s tough to explain. My guys are kind of idiots when it comes to fireworks. A couple of times they checked to make sure they still had all their fingers...but over all, it was fine. In that they did still have all their fingers.

After our midnight supper (more like 1 AM after the fireworks were done), it was time for me to wrap presents. Andres helped me (he knew what everyone was getting anyhow) and we finished at about 3:30 AM. The last few presents looked like Papa Noel had been knocking back a few too many “Eggnogs”, but the guys didn’t care. They only care what’s inside the pretty paper. =)

I didn’t get cooking breakfast until about 9 AM. Any earlier and I’d have had to kill someone at some point during the day. Last year “breakfast” ended up taking me about three hours to make, so this year I came prepared. I found a mix for cinnamon muffins in the American aisle at the grocery store, so I made those first to tide the guys over. I wasn’t sure if they’d like them or not (it’s weird the things they like and don’t like sometimes), but no worries. Sandro just kept walking around going, “Excelente! Excelente!”

For breakfast I made a man’s quiche. =) Home cut fries on the bottom with green peppers, onions and sausage, with whipped eggs and milk and cheese on top. It was tasty. It wasn’t ready until 1:30 PM...but it was tasty. I also fried up a couple of pounds of bacon. Bacon is crazy expensive here, but Christmas morning is Christmas morning. So...bacon.

After “breakfast” we opened presents. That’s always a highlight for me. I mentioned before that Christmas presents are a new thing for most of the guys. So it’s enjoyable. It’s like Christmas with a bunch of little kids. =) I mostly got them clothes which they like and all need. After the gifts we read the Christmas story and took some time to pray and give thanks for everything God’s done for us. It was a good moment.

Then it was time to start cooking those three crazy turkeys I had thawing out in the kitchen. Every year we don’t have any leftover turkey, so this year I decided to make sure we would. Our pastors and their wives and another family were coming over, plus all the guys and Maribel...and I had no idea how much food I’d need...so I figured...lots...

The guys helped me wash the turkeys and put them in their pans. Two of them had to share a pan, so Jose Carlos put their little turkey wings around each other and said that they were friends even in death.

I didn’t stuff them (we were running late by now) so I put all the stuffing in a couple of big tinfoil packs and then put those on a cookie sheet and balanced that on top of the turkeys in the oven. I don’t have roasting pans, so we’d just made little tinfoil tents for them. I tell you this because when I came back four hours later, the cookie sheet and the stuffing were weirdly tipped over to one side. I was like, “Where’d my turkey go?!”

The pan with the two turkeys was fine, but the other turkey was strangely flat. I’d forgotten to take the tinfoil off for the last hour and there was a lot of liquid in the pan. Suffice to say that he’d boiled (I was going to say to death, but...) and he was really well done. He fell apart when I was trying to take him out of the pan. No one got drum sticks since the bones came out without any meat when I tried to pick him up. But he was really, REALLY moist and still quite tasty. No one here’s ever seen a nicely roasted, crispy brown turkey so...who cares really. Tasty was all that counted.

The other two turkeys were still partly raw. I have no idea why.

We got all the food on the table and by the time we’d eaten the first turkey, the other two were ready for seconds. I also made a cool salad with Romaine lettuce, strawberries, roasted almonds and a dressing that had Worchester Sauce in it. I like it a lot, but again...I wasn’t really sure how it’d go over with the Bolivian crowd. But no worries...even the guys (who just kept shaking their heads when I was making it) thought it was good.

Bear with me for a moment...I’m going to do a little patting myself on the back...this year was the best yet for the cooking. My first try went fine a couple of years ago, but I’ve figured out a few things since then. This year went over very well. =) The guys...who as we know, like to eat...kept telling me over and over again how good it all was. This year I learned how to make gravy (thanks Ron and Mel) and when I ate a little mashed potatoes covered in gravy...I nearly cried. So...it was a good night. =)

Okay I’m done...now for a few pictures. Thanks to all of you who made it this far without skipping ahead...

 

First...the fireworks.  There were a lot...

That would be a "Mother-in-Law Killer" he has in his hand.

Roberto with one of the pans of pork...

Andres cutting it up...

Sitting around the table...at 1 AM... 

Andres with the first stack of presents wrapped.

3:30 AM

"Breakfast" at 1:30 PM...

Trust me...it was tasty.  And big...

Santa's little helpers...

Opening presents...

Aron "helping" with the turkey...

Ever had the grandparnts buy Christmas presents that made your kids forget all about your Christmas presents 30 seconds after they opened them?

The foosball table arriving...

Fortunately I'm pretty happy with having

a foosball table in the house.

In my parent's defense...it was my idea.

But yea...no one cared about my presents after that.  =)

Eating supper!

Andres with one of his sisters...

Noelia, Vivi, Tonchi and little Eduardo....

And of course we finished off the evening with a little foosball...

Christmas can be a tough for the guys.  Me too for that matter.  It's such a family oriented time.  For the guys it really reinforces the fact that many of them don't have family.  So it was important to me that we have a meaningful Christmas and have some fun too.  I think we managed to pull it off.  =) 

Thanks everyone for your prayers and support.  Have a great week and a Happy New Year! 

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It's Christmas!

Well...two days before Christmas and I'm finally posting pictures of our decorations.  In my defense, it's been a busy week and I didn't have internet for most of it.  AND I have like twenty people to buy gifts for.  Oh yea...and two Christmas suppers to cook.  Ten kilos of pork for the 24th and two turkeys for the 25th...

Darn good excuses if I say so myself.  And I did...

Tonight Maribel and I, along with Ruddy and Andres went over to the home where Andres' two sisters live.  We took my projector and did a movie big screen (Toy Story 3).  We brought pop and a little gift bad for each of the kids.  It was really fun!  We're going to start making it a monthly thing.  Life gets a bit repetitive for kids who live in children's homes, so it's fun to do something special for them.

My Christmas shopping is mostly done.  I say mostly 'cause my list keeps growing.  Last year there were only a couple of guys here, but this year it seems we're going to have a house full.  And I figure we can't have people here with us and not have at least one present for them.  Most of the guys who'll be here won't be getting presents from anyone else, so...I keep going back to the market just one more time...and that's happened a bunch of times...

As a side note...I get that the malls are busy at home...but until you've been shopping and had people pressed up against three of your four sides...you don't know what crowded is.  It's crazy.  And HOT!  No air conditioned shopping for us.  But entertaining none the less.  The market we've been going to is huge and has probably three or four hundred little stores in it, all randomly tossed together.  It makes life interesting when you're trying to find something specific.  And for a country of little people, why the heck don't they have shirts in small sizes.  We've been looking for something for Eduardo for three days and most of the stores have nothing small enough for him.

Okay...the ranting is done.  Here's a quick run down on our Christmas plans (a few of you have been asking)...

Tomorrow (the 24th) I'll be running around finishing up my shopping.  At some point we'll start cooking that 10 kilos of pork we have in the freezer.  I have no idea at this point how long 10 kilos of pork takes to cook.  But we'll figure it out.  We won't be eating until midnight, so there's time.  At midnight we'll shoot off a truck load of fireworks and firecrakcers, along with the rest of the city, and then sit down to eat supper.  Most Bolivians then head off to visit family and friends for the rest of the night, after they finish eating.  They usually finish the festivities around five or six in the morning.  We'll just hang out here at the house likely.  I usually buy a lot of fireworks, so that should keep us occupied. 

Another side note...when midnight strikes, the craziest fireworks display you can imagine happens.  The entire city goes crazy.  In every direction there are fireworks shooting off and firecrackers exploding.  My favourite, by the way, is the "Mother-in-Law Killer".  It's about an inch thick and three inches long.  Basically it's a piece of dynamite wrapped up in pretty paper.  It's awesome...

Saturday morning the 25th, the guys who went to stay with family for the night, will come back, and I'll cook a big brunch for us.  It started out the first year as breakfast, but by the time I cooked 3 kilos of bacon...scrambled 4 dozen eggs...made pancakes, toast and cut up fruit for everyone...it was pushing 12:30 in the afternoon.  So I explained the concept of "brunch" (which is "desomuerza" in Spanish) and brunch it's been ever since.  I just make sure I get a good movie for everyone to watch to keep them entertained while I cook. 

After brunch it's gift opening time, which is great.  Our first Christmas here, I realized as we were opening presents, that it was the first time most of the guys had ever received a gift just for themselves.  It was kind of a sobering thought actually.  This year again, we'll be hosting a few guys that will have never experienced getting a gift at Christmas time.

After the gifts, the guys will help me with a bit of supper prep and then head off to play soccer all afternoon (although this year, the gift from my parents may keep them occupied!).  =)  Supper will role in at around seven-ish (our pastors and their wives, another family from the church, Andres' two sisters and a bunch of guys who hang out here a lot, will all be joining us).  It's going to be turkey (two turkeys actually) and all the trimmings!  I'm even making pumkin pies.  It's fun cooking here.  The whole Canadian turkey dinner thing is new for most people and they think you're the most amazing guy in the world for coming up with things like apple crisp.  =)  I enjoy reveling in their admiration... 

After supper we're hauling out a bunch of games and I'm going to introduce everyone to the joy of Dutch Blitz.  Sorry if you don't know what that is...you're missing out...

Sunday we'll probably hang out down by the river and then the church is having a potluck "Thanksgiving" supper.  It'll be a time to remember what God's done in the past year and say thank you. 

All in all, a busy weekend.  Okay...some pictures of the house...

As you come in the front door...

Another angle...

I think I mentioned how our decorations kept falling down.

You can see how they're taped to the ceiling.  It didn't work

that great, but it's all we've got...

Looking down the stairs at night...

I really like our decorations.  I was telling one of the guys that it was a lot funner buying decorations last year.  My parents were here, and while my dad hung out in the tool section, my mom and I went shopping.  We just tossed whatever caught our eye into the cart and dad met us at the counter with his credit card.  Things are cheap enough (by Canadian standards) that it probably didn't cost him more than $40, so I don't think he minded too much...  =)

Anyhow...that's our Christmas.  I thought I'd just mention that if any of you thought you might like to help us with Christmas, that'd be great.  I'm not very good at the asking, but we're actually in a bit of a tough financial spot this year.  It's been a bit stressful.  If you'd like to give something towards the guys' gifts, you can contact my mission at 1-800-465-7601 or just drop me a note.  Thanks!  =)

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!  Take some time to be thankful for what God has given you this season.  As much as I enjoy all the stuff that goes along with Christmas (and I do!), one of my favourite family traditions is reading the story of Christ's birth Christmas morning.  It's something we do here as well, along with taking time to pray and thank God for everything He's given us.  It's something that always moves me.

Thanks again for everything you do!  We appreciate it greatly!  =)

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Grasshoppers vs. Ants

You know that story about the grasshopper with a hole in the roof of his house?  And when it's sunny he goes out and parties while the ants fix their roofs?  And then when it rains he's all annoyed 'cause his house is flooding and no one wants to help him fix the roof?

I'm not totally sure on the details of that story...it's been awhile...but my point is, I think I'm the grasshopper.  I'm sure anyone who knows me is laughing right now and saying, "You think you're the grasshopper?!"

I was just sitting here thinking that I really need to go buy new windshield wipers for my truck.  I've known for about...six months or so...that my wipers are shot.  But it's been the dry season so who cares right?  But then on Sunday I got caught in a monsoon rain and I could see through about an inch and a half of my windshield where the wiper was working.  And of course that inch and a half was down by the dashboard so I was all scrunched up with my head turned sideways so I could see.  It wasn't very comfortable.  Or safe probably. 

But the problem is, it's such a pain to buy windshield wipers here.  You can't just go to Canadian Tire and look up the number in the handy guide and be out of the store in ten minutes.  It's a little more complicated.  There're markets involved and arguing with the guy selling the wipers about the price and then the thirty other people who are convinced you need chrome caps for the air nozzles on your tires (I don't, by the way...I bought them when I was getting my windows tinted) or plastic wind flow thingys for over your windows so the wind doesn't go into your truck when the windows are down. 

Hmm...that was quite the descriptive sentence, but I really don't know what to call them.  All I know is that the guy selling them CANNOT believe I don't want them for my truck.  He's quite insistent.  And then when I say no...twenty or thirty times...he walks away with a sad/disgusted/annoyed look on his face.  It's awkward. 

At any rate, I definitely have a love/hate relationship with the automotive market here.  It can be fun sometimes, but too often you go in for a twenty cent bulb for your tail light and you come out with a new car alarm system. 

Uh...not that that actually happened.  Nope.  Who would ever do that?  That'd be dumb.

So in the end, I'm faced with a dilemma.  Do I go and buy those windshield wipers or do I just put it off for one day more.  The way I see it, it's sunny and hot today and I'm sure it'll stay that way for at least a few more days. 

Besides grasshoppers are cooler than ants.
  
  

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Grad pictures...

We're still working on the Christmas decorations, so those pictures will have to wait.  Yes, yes...I know...it's only ten days until Christmas.  But it's not our fault...the decorations keep falling down.  Everything here is cement, so we've been trying to tape things to the walls.

It's cooler than that just sounded...trust me.

At any rate, the tape won't hold and every morning everything's on the ground.  We're working on the situation.

But in the meantime, here are a few pictures of Americo and Cocoliso's graduation...

Andres with Cocoliso...while we waited for the grad to start.

And waited...and waited...and waited...

Coco with two of his sisters, Lupe and Isabel.

And finally, at 9 o'clock...three hours after the stated

commencment time...everyone had arrived and we got started.

Coco with his new diploma...

You couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces!

The graduating class of 2010!

You can give a guy a diploma, but you can't

make him hold it right-side up...

Americo enjoying the supper after the grad...

The next night after the graduation (Sunday) Americo's family (who'd travelled from different cities) had a supper for him....

The tables and chairs were curtesy of our house, but the

rest of the decorations were done by Americo's

nieces and nephews...

Americo "helping" his brother BBQ...

Then the rain started...

We borrowed some tarps from next door

to try and put up a roof...

The good thing was, no one let a little (or a LOT)

of rain dampen their enthusiasm!

Eventually we got it figured out.

The only problem was, you never quite knew where

the roof was going to suddenly let go with a

ton of water!

A few people got surprised...

A couple of Americo's nieces hiding out under the

eaves of the house...

Finishing the cooking!

Everyone dry and happy!  It wall worked out in the end...

I always enjoy when I have the opportunity to hang out with the families of the guys.  Sometimes it takes a bit for everyone to feel comfortable (I am, after all, a gringo!).  =)  But once we're all used to the situation, it's fun to just talk and hang out.  I like being a part of their families.  So far, they've all enjoyed having me...I think... 

All in all, it was a great couple of days!  We had fun...rain and late grads and all....

   

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And life goes on...

Well...it's no surprise to me or anyone else probably, that there are good moments in ministry...and there are bad ones.  There are times when you trust someone to do the right thing....and then you find out they didn't.  It's not the end of the world, but it's still disappointing none the less. 

A friend had the chance to do something well and stand up for what he believes in.  But he stumbled and made a bad choice.  Tomorrow we'll pick up the pieces and life will go on.  But it's a sad night for me.  Please pray for wisdom as I talk to him tomorrow.  And please pray for him as well...I've no doubt that he's feeling some pain tonight.

Thanks everyone.

  

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My evening...

It's been an eventful couple of days.  Americo and Cocoliso (Jose Manuel) both graduated from high school last night.  It was a nice grad.  My Facebook profile status states it best...

"The invitation said 6 PM.  We got there at 7:30.  It started at 9.  Supper was at 11.  I got home, after driving people to their houses, at 3.  Another grad bites the dust!"

I'll post some more pictures and a bit more of the story tomorrow when I have some time.  Right now I just wanted to tell you a little bit about another experience I had tonight, and ask you to pray. 

There's a young guy I know from the boy's home where I used to work.  He was always a favourite of mine.  He has one of those dry senses of humour that catches you off guard and then totally kills you.  His expression is often very serious, and yet that seldom expresses what's happening in his head and heart.  I really enjoyed this young guy's friendship.

I haven't talked to him much since I left that home, but recently we've reconnected.  It was a bit strained that first day when we visited, but it didn't take long for us to be talking and laughing about old times.  I saw him the other night, and without much prompting, he shared some things that have been going on in his life. 

He wasn't sure how to explain it all, but as he talked, I quickly realized that he was describing some serious spiritual attacks.  Even with his low key personality, I could tell he was feeling kind of desperate.  I suggested we get together to pray about it, which he quickly agreed to.  It made me a bit sad that he didn't feel like he had anyone else who could pray with him. 

The only time we could get together was tonight.  Otherwise we'd have had to wait a couple of weeks, and I didn't want to see him suffer through this for any longer than he needed to.  I had Americo's grad supper with his family, but I just explained that I had to leave for a bit and that seemed fine with everyone.  They were all busy trying to put up tarps to deal with the monsoon rains that showed up unexpectedly tonight, but that's a story for another day (I have pictures that I'll be posting). 

It was around a 45 minute drive to the little town where this guy lives.  I think a few people thought I was crazy for driving that far in the crazy rains we were having, but I'm a Saskatchewan farm boy.  I've driven a lot farther, in a lot worse weather, for a lot dumber reasons.  At least here if you have some kind of problem there's no risk of freezing to death.

As a side note, I do have to admit that one of these days my whole, "This road seems to be going in the general direction I need to go in.  I'm sure it'll be fine..." attitude is going to backfire on me.  But it didn't tonight.  I had a couple of moments, as I skidded around on what was not the kind of road one wants to be on in monsoon rains, when I wondered what exactly I'd been thinking.  It felt like winter driving conditions in Canada, as my truck did the whole let's slide sideways down this muddy hill for awhile thing a couple of times.  But it was all good.  And I always enjoy that moment when I'm like, "OH...so this is where I am!" when I hit an area I recognize. 

Eventually I made it to where my young friend is renting a room with his wife.  We chatted for a bit and then started talking about what had been happening.  Obviously it was causing a lot of stress for both of them.  We talked about our authority in Christ as Christians, and how we don't have to suffer through these kinds of attacks.  I had a moment when I wondered how intense it was going to get, as my young friend got very serious and stoic as we were talking.  I wasn't exactly sure what he was thinking or experiencing.  After what happened at the house last time, I'm a little more cautious.  But we prayed together, and in the end it was really good.  He seemed much more at peace and there was a sense of joy in both him and his wife that wasn't there before.

I wanted to ask you to pray for this young couple.  Like so many of these guys I run into, this young man was still experiencing the spiritual consequences from his life on the streets.  As you can imagine, so much of what happens on the streets is very demonic. 

Most of these guys don't understand or know how to communicate what's happening to them now when they experience these attacks.  And they don't trust many people to tell them what they're going through when they do.  So they suffer through it.  I was able to explain about our authority as Christians over the spiritual realm tonight to this young guy, so he'll be better prepared next time.  But there are still so many who don't know what to do when these attacks come. 

Please pray that this young guy will continue to experience God's freedom and His protection.  Pray that, if the attacks start up again, he'll know what to do.  Finally, pray that he will be able to sleep through the night and experience the peace that comes as a child of God.

Thanks everyone.  Tomorrow we're back to the hospital for Sandro's other eye operation.  The first one went well, so I'm sure this one will be fine too.  Sandro experienced a lot of discomfort the first time though, so pray for a speedy recovery this time around.

  

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What the guys think Canada looks like...

       

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Painting and Christmas decorations...

We'll start with the painting pictures...

This is what it looked like before we started.

I tried a few different test colours before I decided

which one I liked.

Moving right along...

I left to buy more paint and this is what I came home to...

Roberto claims no one told him we weren't going to

paint the ceiling too...

Yimy standing on the ledge OUTSIDE the house and painting

the OUTSIDE wall because "...that's a part of the house too..."

I guess 'cause you can see it through the window?

In the ensuing "discussion" he said they painted it last time too...

In a year and a half of passing that window twenty

times a day...I never noticed.

And, um...speaking of safety issues...

Part of me was like, "That's so not a good idea!" but another

part of me was like, "Yea...but we do need to paint up to

the top of that wall..."

This would be Yimy starting something he couldn't finish...

But he learned an important life lesson,

so I think it was all good...

After we finished the painting, it was time to start the decorating.  The guys were into it 'cause I promised them pizza...

No one has their shirt on because it was like 30 C in the house.

Merry Christmas from Bolivia!

That picture kind of gives you and idea of the colours we used for the walls...

If you look closely at Andres...

He's just full of Christmas spirit...

Andres and I ended up decorating the tree on our own...

...'cause this is what happened when the pizza was finished...

Andres wanted to put the star on first, but I explained

it had to be the last ornament to go on the tree. 

He humoured me...with one of his,

"The gringo's at it again." looks.

Every year when I take our tree out of the box I think it looks like the needles were made out of plastic garbage bags.  But then, once it's up...it doesn't look too bad.  We haven't finished decorating yet (tomorrow) so I'll post a few more pics when we're done.  But it was a fun night...

   

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