Carnaval Camping

The other weekend we went out to Poza Verde for an extended weekend camping trip. Extended because we were trying to avoid the Carnaval craziness in the city. We got a little sample of another craziness as we left the city, half a mile of semis 3-4 lanes wide leftover from the trucker blockades right before Carnaval.  Notice the oncoming traffic in the photo below, we had to cross over into the oncoming lane to get around it all.

 During Carnaval people tend to spray each other with dye and throw paint filled balloons at cars hence a lot of people lay low or escape the cities for a few days. As you can see below even out in Poza Verde some of the kids got painted.

We joined Cesar's supporting church who were also out there camping out.  We had a great time getting to know them and making new friends. They boys and I stayed in that tent under the tree to the right.

 Of course there was plenty of Volley Ball, the sport of choice in Poza Verde. 

And to the victors go the spoils!

 We had some great morning devos and worship sessions.  Jenna did a great job translating for me during my devo morning since I wasn't quite up to giving it in Spanish.

It was a toasty few days so we found ways to keep cool.

 The bed of our truck became a popular hangout spot for the kids.

 All our boys made friends fast.

 I made some great new friends too!  A bunch of fellow nature nuts/biology/herpetology students came to the camp out and we all went for a night time hunt for reptiles and amphibians.

 We brought some of our finds back to share with everyone the next morning.  Not everyone was as enthusiastic but the boys sure were!

Some times we struggled talking about the creatures we found across the language barrier but we understood the latin names!

 The boys loved helping in the kitchen.

Making cuñape is always a big hit.  It is cheesy yucca (tapioca) bread.

There was some great food and fellowship time

 But what's for dinner?!?

 Ah... grilled armadillo

 Well we learned an important lesson: Always keep your freezer well stocked with the necessities such as Armadillo and birthday cake.

And ending with cute photo so as to not leave you on the image of an armadillo in the freezer.

Conference in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia

  It has been a long time dream of our team to be able to host a conference for indigenous missionaries to indigenous people. These men and women work tirelessly in their own communities to bring the light and life of Christ to dark places. Because they work in their own communities, often in incredibly isolated places, it can be very difficult for these brothers and sisters to receive any type of encouragement or refreshment. 

River Beni- view from our hostel

Our goal was to be able to provide them a week of respite, refreshment and spiritual renewal away from their daily grind. Most of the time these are the pastors and missionaries who are leading, planning and directing their own church conferences, so we wanted to give them a place to come and just receive the Word. Even pastors and teachers need space to heal, refresh and rejuvenate them to be able to continue doing the work God has called them to. They are only human too, struggling with their own challenges, fears and doubts.

  This December we were blessed to have a team come from Summit Church en Español (in NC) to help bring this dream to fruition.  I had the privilege of accompanying this team (along with Ezer while Jason stayed home with the other boys) to a small town in rural Bolivia, Rurrenabaque.

Ezer's first plane ride was in a Cessna. He did great!

  This team was great because they were basically responsible for putting together this conference. The pastor from the church brought the messages each morning and evening. I was even able to sit and enjoy the encouraging messages this Pastor spoke. There were several from the church’s worship team and brought incredible music to this tiny church in the middle of nowhere. Others were caring for the missionary kids- allowing them to enjoy fun crafts, songs and times of teaching, allowing the MKs to relax for a week instead of just being the missionary kid with high expectations for model behavior. Other team members were able to spend time in prayer and counseling individuals and couples. I know of one couple in particular that benefited from the pastoral counseling as they were on the verge of separation.

 Some of the highlights for me included:

• Hearing from several indigenous missionaries about the work they were doing in their own communities.
• Meal times! The team and the participants all ate together, and the fellowship was sweet!
  
  
  

   

  Fish was served for lunch after a morning session on Jonah

   
• The night each family/indigenous group represented there sang worship songs in their own languages! It was a little foretaste of every tribe and tongue giving praise to the Lord. 
  

  
• Volleyball! Although I was just a spectator (hard to play volleyball with a baby in your arms), the joy, fellowship and laughter was infectious and a testimony to enjoying good things as a body of believers.

  I believe around 50 adults came (plus a few random people from the community) that represented around 7 different indigenous nations in the Eastern/Northern portion of Bolivia. Some individuals traveled up to 3 days to get to the conference, coming via walking, bus, car, plane, bike and boat- pretty much every possible imaginable mode of transportation. The plan is to continue this conference each year as a respite option for indigenous missionaries, for further development and training, for fellowship and community building. 

T Minus 6 Months and Counting!

CLEAR! *ZAP!* It is time to revive the blog now that we are rapidly approaching our return to Bolivia.

 A quick recap: We have been back in the States the last 3.5 years while Jenna studies to become a midwife.  After our move here we have moved two more times for Jenna's placements with midwives to get hands on experience.  We now live on breathtaking Whidbey Island for her final placement.

 Hiking the bluff, one of the many amazing views around here.

I continue to work as a tobacco Quit Coach and recently reached 8,000 people coached.  I never envisioned myself in such a job but I have gained some valuable skills in helping people through addiction and it ended up being a job that worked well with Jenna's school.  I was able to get odd hours that fit with her schedule and working from home cut out commute time and permitted me to take my job with me when we had to move for her school.

Noah exploring the wharf here in Coupeville

Jenna graduates June 22 and the following Friday we hit the road for a 3 month tour around the country visiting friends, family, and churches before flying south to Bolivia (with a week long stop in Panama for the South America Mission Centennial Celebration).  Also in the trip will be about a month of cultural training in North Carolina.

Digging for yummy clams just down the road from our house

Right now we are in a rather intense period of Jenna finishing her thesis and catching babies, myself working full time, balancing family life between us, and trying to kick Bolivia preparations into full gear. We are focusing more and more on support raising in order to make our goal of being in Bolivia in 6 months.  We have also been thinning down and garage sale-ing our stuff in order to squeeze our lives into 8 suitcases.

 There it is in a nutshell!  Now that the blog is alive again you should be hear more from us on here once again. 

Christmas 2007-2012

 2012 - Kenmore, WA

 2011 - Kenmore, WA

2010- Pailon, Bolivia

 2009 - Santa Cruz, Bolivia

 2008 - ECHO, North Fort Myers, FL

 2007 - Camp Hill, PA

2012 Nactus Award Nominee!

So call me a creature geek but I'm excited!  I have been trying to get in to the Nactus Awards for a while now and this year I had one of my photos nominated.  The competition will be tough but I am just excited to have made it in.  The following photos was nominated in Category 8: Scientific Record:

This is a photo of a Hatchet Faced Tree Frog (Sphaenorhynchus lacteus) I found while on a river trip in Bolivia.  I heard a frog call I never heard before and tracked it to this guy after wading through mud up to my waist.  Turns out braving the mosquitoes and mud was worth it.

If you would like to vote for the nominated photos before Nov. 26, go to http://www.exo-terra.com/en/photography/nactus_award.php  You will have to vote for one from each of the 8 categories.

Settled in Seattle

We made it! We are finally settled in Seattle after what felt like months of living on the road. 

We drove through 20 states! (click to view large)

After leaving Bolivia we took a road trip up the east coast starting in Miami and ending in Syracuse visiting friends, family, churches, and the SAM HQ along the way.  In Syracuse, we sortedhrough our junk that had been in storage for the last 3-4 years and got rid of the majority of it.  After all, we survived several years without it, we could still live without it.  We packed up what we wanted to keep and shipped it to Seattle via Amtrak (hint: Amtrak is the cheapest way to ship or move long distances!).  We threw the odd shaped stuff into our car (generously donated through the combined efforts of family and supporters) and into my parents van and embarked on yet another road trip, this time from the east coast to the west coast.  It was a beautiful drive although challenging keeping Noah happy for 700-800 miles a day.

People & Places along the way (click to view large)

The idea of moving to Seattle was more intimidating than when we were planning on moving to Bolivia. At least then we had a place to live, a job, and a support community.  When we started to move to Seattle, we had no place to live, no job, no car, and knew almost no one in this area.  Yet we knew this is where God had been leading us and one by one things fell into place in His time.

First off, some of our supporters and family members pooled their resources and got us a car.  Then right before we began our road trip to Seattle, the one family we knew in Seattle (missionaries we met in Bolivia) helped us find a wonderful apartment. We've plugged into a Church and small group and been making friends fast.  Then just yesterday I was offered a job.  It was a fun ride but is sure feels good to be settled.  Jenna has started classes.  Noah is growing fast and picking up new things every day.  Baby #2 is healthy and growing away.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement along the way.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we enter this time of preparation for our long-term return to Bolivia. 

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