Faith E Work Team

We have the opportunity of hosting work teams every once in a while. This last couple of weeks we had the privilege of hosting a very lively group from the Faith Evangelical Church in Billings. When we were in the correspondence and planning stage with their leaders before arriving I was told that they wanted to "do it all!" And so they did. From the moment they arrived in the very early morning on June  11 until their departure very early morning on the 21st they kept us busy with all kinds of enthusiasm, energy and activities.

Since they were a work team there was some work to do. Mornings were spent helping out at the district headquarters construction.

Playing the "Move the Mountain of Sand Game" is always of favorite of work teams.

Afternoons were dedicated to ministry opportunities.

Helping at the tutoring center was fun and a blessing to the kids and helpers.

Children's activities were conducted in three different local churches.

One afternoon was an outreach to the ladies in the churches with a special invitation to the mothers of the tutoring center kids.

Music, in both English and Spanish, was a part of the ministry.

Niki and I happened to be celebrating thirty years of marriage so the team helped us celebrate in good fashion. Party hats, a cake and a re-enactment of our story were the highlights of the evening.

Another fun game was pushing cars out of the mud hole by the tutoring center. Also one of the mission vehicles had to be rescued. (We'll not say who was driving!)

Finally, with this group there was always time for coffee.

A local book stare and coffee shop that specializes in Starbucks's coffee. I had chocolate.

Except for a planned expedition up the river to the water falls everything seemed to go well. Even that was a blessing in disguise. The police at the checkpoint would not let us go because we were not carrying passports. It turned out the road was so bad that it would not have been safe for us in a bus. We ended up stopping under a bridge for lunch and went home and shopped some more. 

We did it all! Thank you all very much for your hard work, good ministry and positive attitudes. Come back again. The coffee will be ready.

Kids, Suitcases and the OAS

KIDS - Almost every Tuesday and Friday afternoons I am at the New Hope Tutoring Center that our mission has here in Santa Cruz. If you are a regular Ch'airo reader then you have read something about it before. I usually work with the Kindergarten aged and below kids. They are the younger brothers and sisters who come with their older siblings. The center is not designed for them but if they were told they could not come then, in many cases, the older siblings would have to stay home to care for them.

Some of them will have some kind of writing assignment from school but not usually. So we play.

Puzzles are always fun.

So is Duck, Duck, Goose.

Doing homework is always more fun with friends.

P is for Parrot.

I really like being with them, although I can be a bit gruff sometimes and try to discipline. Please pray that they will see Christ'a love through my interaction with them.

SUITCASES - Last weekend we went to Cochabamba to get in our farewells with the Guerrero family who left on Wednesday this week for deputation. Flying up we (Niki was with me) took two suitcases. Not that we needed that much stuff but we wanted space just in cast we did a little shopping, which we did. However, my suitcase never arrived. We still don't know where it is. At first I was kind of upset. Some of the things will be hard to replace here (shoes being the BIG item, if you get the pun). But I know that stuff is just stuff and it really doesn't count for much. This Sunday I have been invited to preach at the Trinity International Church here inSanta Cruz. It is a church in English for both expatriates and Bolivians who speak English. Anyway I am preaching on Psalm 49. the writer speaks how the rich cannot take their wealth with them to the grave. I guess I am just parting with the stuff in my suitcase a little sooner.

Saying goodbye to JJ at Ciudad de Refugio youth center.

OAS (Organization of American States) - The same weekend we were in Cochabamba the OAS was having its general assembly in Cochabamba as well. It is a big deal and an honor for Bolivia to be the host of this important organization. There were a ton of OAS people on our flight up and when we landed we were told that us common folk needed to let the OAS people off the plane first. In fact, we were to use the rear door. The red carpet was rolled up to the front door and a military welcome was awaiting the OAS'ers. It was fun to watch the big to do over them. I suppose that the OAS meeting and extra people and so on may have something to do with the fact of my suitcase going AWOL. The meeting proved to be a bit feisty from what I read in the paper. Good thing our security is not in governments, political parties or the OAS. They all seem to fail. I'll stick with God. He has a perfect  record.

The flags of the nations involved in OAS.

Traditional music with which to greet the guests.

A red carpet welcome for the visiting dignitaries.

Just a last short note. Early Monday morning a team arrives from the Billings Faith E Church. Please pray for them and us as we minister together for the next 10 days or so. Pray for safety, health, receptivity and hearing what God wants to say throughout their visit. Thanks.