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. 

Back in Bolivia

Hey everyone,

So we're back in Bolivia for a 10 day trip to visit everyone down here and see how things are going with the various projects we have been involved in.  There should be a newsletter on its way so keep your eye out for it in the mail.  We are on our way out to Poza Verde.  More updates when we return.

Home Sweet Home #9

We have continued our trend of our ever changing lives and have moved to home #9 since we've been married.  We have been here a few weeks and are starting to feel "settled".   We are loving our new duplex.  Quite the step up from our previous apartment and paying less than if we would have stayed!

The boys enjoying snack time in our new backyard

In our first weeks here a lot has happened.  We have already plugged into a new church that has quickly taken us in.  Already they have been helping us out a lot and showing us the ropes here in Mount Vernon.

The pastor introduced us to an amazing group called Skagit Gleaners. This group collects produce from grocery stores in the area that would otherwise be thrown away, sorts through to pick out the stuff that is still good, and gives it away to their members.    To join you pay a nominal monthly fee and agree to give 4 volunteer hours a month.  We can collect produce up to 3 days a week and so far the limits have been 25-35lbs!  Thanks to this group it looks like we are going to be well fed and saving a lot on our grocery bills.

Mikala and the boys

We have had a huge answer to prayer during this whole move.  Mission Nannies came through again and provided us with Mikala who will be helping us with the kids the next few months. This comes just in time since Jenna will be starting at the birth clinic before long.

Here we go again!

So in keeping with our tradition of never staying in one place for more than a year and a half, we're moving again! 

Places we have lived since we were married:
Camp Hill, PA - 3 months (I lived there for a year prior)
India House @ ECHO, FL - 6 months
Block House @ ECHO, FL - 6 Months
Host Family San Jose, Costa Rica - 4 months
Our own apartment San Jose, Costa Rica - 4 months
Santa Cruz, Bolivia - 6 months
Pailon, Bolivia - 1.5 years
Kenmore, WA - 1.5 years
Mt Vernon, WA - ?

We were looking forward to being in one home for a few years for the first time ever but it is not going to pan out that way.  Although we are not looking forward to the process of moving, we are looking forward to getting out of this moldy apartment.  I don't think we will have to worry about mushrooms growing out of the wall in our next place! 

Still mushrooms even after the "repair". 

The reason for the move?  Jenna was accepted to a birthing center as a student to start getting some hands on experience.  The center is about an hour north from here (not a good commute for a baby catching job) and since I have a job that moves with me, away we go!  The fact that mold grows everywhere in our apartment, the large increase in rent, and the fact we can get a MUCH nicer place in Mt Vernon for the cost of this place made the decision easy.

Nice Nanny Needed

We have a unique opportunity for you to help us in this time of preparation for work in Bolivia. As you know, I just finished my first quarter as a full time student in my midwifery program. We have a wonderful nanny who has worked with us for a season through a great organization called Mission Nannies. However, she will soon be wrapping up her time with us.

With that said we are looking for a new nanny to help with the kids! Gabriel just turned 1 and Noah is 2.5 yrs old. Ideally we would love to have someone come and live with us with a minimum commitment of 6 months. We would give them room, board, utilities and wifi in exchange for helping with the kids. The nanny would have their own room and would share a bathroom with our 2 year old. There is a possibility of a stipend but would require raising support through Mission Nannies. Flexibility is a must as I will be on-call starting in April and my schedule will be very unpredictable. Please let us know if you, or someone you know, might be interested in serving us in this way. 

We are just trusting God to provide the right person for our family during this time.

 Who could resist such cuties?