Of My 8th Week in Bolivia

I went grocery shopping earlier this week, something I dread and put off for as long as possible, I walked around for an hour and had filled my cart to capacity. I was dreaming of PB cookies and chicken tortilla soup, finally got all my stuff and put it up for the cashier. He rang up my 400 bs worth of groceries (like, $50.. I had several American products which made the price a lot higher than usual, plus I had A LOT of stuff... Should last for a while!) Anyway. I gave him my debit card, he tried it two or three times and it was not working. I knew that I had money in my checking account. 

My face started to flush... I always carry cash, this is Bolivia, a cash-based society. However, all I had was 50 bs (less than $10) I asked if there was an ATM, he said I could use the ones outside. I tried two. Neither of them worked. In a panic I called my friend, she didn't know what to do. I tried calling TJ but he didn't answer. I frantically texted my mom, figuring that for some reason my bank was blocking my account again. She didn't answer either. I tried one more ATM. Finally, I texted TJ asking for vocabulary to explain that my account was blocked. Armed with that helpful sentence, I went resignedly back into the grocery store.

 The man finished helping some other customers and then came to see what I had to say for myself. I explained the situation and told him I only had 50 bs. He kind of laughed at that. Then he helped me to pick out a few things to buy. He was very gracious though, and helpful. After I had finished choosing my purchases we had to wait for someone to come and authorize the transaction. While we were waiting, the cashier turned to me and asked in English, 

"Where are you from?"

I was so shocked that I stammered and searched my brain for the correct response. I probably looked like a complete fool, my face beet red and stammering going between "Los Estados...the, um, the United States..." I don't even know what all was in English and what was in Spanish. Haha. He said that my Spanish was good and asked how long I had been here. Eventually, he switched back to Spanish. It helped to make the whole situation funny and a good memory instead of completely terrible! 

(Since then, the card situation has been resolved!) 

I went to a new church this morning, another Bolivian church (with one of my Spanish teachers actually!) It was very small. Maybe 25 or 30 people. I was able to follow the sermon so that was fun! After singing there were announcements, I was already feeling a bit awkward, we were sitting much closer to the front than I would have chosen, we had arrived late, and it was so small that I couldn't blend in. Anyway, they started asking if there were any visitors, the worship pastor was making each visitor stand up and say their name and where they were from. A couple people stood up. I was hoping that he didn't notice me. No such luck... 

"And next to who?" He asked, the whole congregation responded, 

"Next to Monica!" (my teacher... I had been discovered!) 

I stood up and tremulously said, "Buen dia, mi nombre es Susannah." and sat back down. 

"Susan?" he asked, 

"No, Susannah," I said. 

I was blushing and shaking and quickly ducked my head. Subconsciously I heard him say 'Bienvenido.' I was then freaking out that I had said 'Bienvenido' instead of 'buen dia.' All the sudden my teacher was whispering to me, 

"De donde eres?" I looked up with a start, 

"Soy de Los Estados Unidos." 

Another visitor introduced himself, and then it was time to stand up and sing again, I was sure I was going to fall over from shaking!!!

All in all, it was a good experience and good Spanish comprehension practice. Nevertheless, I intend to go back to the International Church next Sunday, where it is bigger, mainly in English and I don't have to introduce myself! (The whole time before opening my mouth to introduce myself, I was remembering my one line in a skit when I was in Ukraine, I had to say it in Russian and I had been practicing and practicing, raising my voice so that I could be heard I promptly BUTCHERED the sentence. I was so afraid that it was going to happen again this morning!!!!) 

This week, I am thankful that God's ways are not my ways. 

I am thankful that He allows me to be a part of His plan. 

I am thankful that He uses me, a broken vessel, for His glorious purposes.

 I may never know all of the things He does, but I am thankful for when He does show me how He is working.

And I'm also thankful for friendship and toddler kisses! 

Romans 8:28

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."

Romans 8:35, 37-39

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? [or homesickness]

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

A Few Little Stories

I sent out my April newsletter today so I am going to have a shorter post than usual, however, I realized that my newsletter got rather long so I saved a couple stories and pictures for here!

A couple days ago, Marcella was playing with my necklace.

“What is this called?” She asked. I told her in Spanish.

“No,” she said indignantly, “en ingles!!!!”

She also sang happy birthday with me in English to send to Elijah for his birthday!

I stepped into my room to send Elijah a text message and Pablo asked what I was doing. "It's my brother's birthday and I'm writing him a message," I said.

"Your sister?" He asked.

"No, my brother," I repeated.

Later, when Kayla came to the babyhouse Pablo asked me, "Is that your sister who has a birthday today?"

The Sunday School teacher asked if I was Kayla's sister too... I suppose we are sisters in Christ and have kind of similar histories, as well as spending a lot of time together... We can be sisters in Bolivia. ;)

 Also, my awesome friend Kathryn made these beautiful curtains for my room, when she brought them over to help hang them she even brought me dinner!!!

I was on a bus the other night and asked the driver to let me off at the upcoming corner, just as I always do, he kept going past where they usually stop but I figured, maybe he was letting me off on the other side. When he went past that corner as well I told him more loudly, "I'm going to get off please!" To my surprise, he kept driving. Suddenly three or more Bolivian voices very loudly repeated my request. The driver slammed on his brakes. "I was going to stop at the wall..." He sputtered, trying to excuse himself. An older man sitting close to me yelled back indignantly, "She said on the corner."

One, I understood it all... so that was cool. Two, it's always nice to feel like people are looking after you, especially here when there are protests in La Paz calling for Americans to leave the country. (There are protests all the time... Bolivia doesn't like America in general. The other missionaries aren't concerned though. They've seen enough of them in their years here to know that, likely, nothing will come of it.)

"Lay down!" Marcella said... I don't think she realized that I am twice the length of her little playhouse... The kids like to scrape up the dusty, dried grass and pretend that it is food... I can only get so much in my clothes before this tia loses her imagination!

The house can also double as a jail cell... When I asked what I had done that would earn me a place in prison, the response I got was simply that I had done some very bad things...

(the translation was adjusted to sound more adult in English...In Spanish I probably sounded like a three-year-old.)

I finally convinced one of my "guards" to give me a key, which I was commanded to keep in my pocket, soon thereafter we had a merry chase around the yard!

Children's Day

 For children's day (a big celebration here!) the kids from the boys and girls homes came over for a big party with lots of candy and music!

 The littlest ones got dressed up.

 Before the party there was a big face painting session for most of the kids at the babyhouse.

 This has been one of my favorite pieces of art that I have seen since getting here, it's on the side of a restaurant called 'Casablanca.' 

Colossians 3:1-17

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

This week I made a list of the things I love about Bolivia and put it above my mirror where I can keep adding to it for the rest of the year... Today I added another item to that list:

Bolivia has many sounds; revving engines, honking horns, barking dogs... but my favorite is hearing the kids calling, "Tia Susannah! Tia Sue!" I love hearing the prattling voices asking a multitude of questions about what I'm wearing, if I have a bed in my room, where I'm going, (and many other questions that I have yet to understand.) Today, as I was leaving, a couple kids called out greetings and Daniel ran up to me calling my name, I held out my arms. "Give me a hug!" I said, he complied with a smile that warmed my heart. The entire time walking to Kathryn and Gustavo's I was walking on the clouds... I couldn't stop smiling! 

Mostly Pictures

At the beginning of this week, especially after being sick, I was really struggling with missing home again. My mom sent me some quotes that really encouraged me.

"Remember this, had any other condition 

been better for you than the one in which you are, 

divine love would have put you there." 

-Charles H Spurgeon-

"Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business.

If I peer anxiously into the fog of the future,

I will strain my spiritual eyes so that 

I will not see clearly what is required of me now."

-Elisabeth Elliot-

"Restlessness and impatience change nothing

except our peace and joy.

Peace does not dwell in outward things, 

but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly

on Him who has all things safely in His hands."

-Elisabeth Elliot-

The rest of this week has been so much better. I am so thankful for my mom and my friend who encouraged me to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus. 

 This woman makes these bracelets on the street, using her feet to help her hold the strings. 

 Practicing balancing

 

 I sat on the ground for a while, the whole time Pablo was scrapping the ground for dried grass (and dirt) to "feed" me. I kept telling him, "but, I'm not hungry!" "Yes you are tia!!!" He would respond reassuringly as he piled more into my hands. Finally, when he saw that I was being serious about not wanting dusty grass all over my hands anymore, he wrapped it in leaves and gave it to me that way!

I've been blessed with a lot of pleasant fellowship this week! Bible study Tuesday mornings. This past Thursday was the first of weekly "Bible study/fellowship" time with Kayla (a friend.) Friday after the baby house was team meal, I enjoyed getting to know the other missionaries here a little better. Saturday I spent with Kayla and got to meet her husband. After church this morning I went to lunch with Kayla and her husband and then Kayla and I did grocery shopping. (I've been putting off my grocery shopping for two weeks now!)

I should have my visa extension this week. The lawyer and I went to complete more paperwork earlier this week, so that was an experience... It was good Spanish practice! ;)  

I also have some more Bolivian recipes I want to make when I get home, queque de platano (basically banana bread but it was in a GIANT pan so it's perfect for my family,) and something else that I haven't seen in writing yet so I don't remember what it's called... The cook is going to print up the recipe for me, it made me think of a sort of fry bread and was really good! Monica (the cook) knew that I liked it so she gave me some for breakfast the next morning. (Ever since I was sick she won't let me use my milk unless I make it hot... She says that I will get sick if I put it in my cereal while it's cold.) 

Please don't judge me for the following story, I was rushing to leave my room and I didn't think clearly, I hope it makes you laugh... 

I was waiting to meet Kayla on Cala Cala and decided to see if, by some miracle, my American iPhone would work with the chip from my Bolivian Android phone because I really prefer Apple... Anyway, the SIM card was too big so I put it back in my Android, and upon realizing the time, I rushed out the door.

I typed a text message to Kayla to tell her where to meet me and was frusturated to discover that it wouldn't send... I tried another message and it still wouldn't go through, that's when I noticed that my phone said "Emergency Calls Only" 

What happened I wondered. Maybe you can't take SIM cards out of Androids, Apple phones work fine removing and replacing SIMs... Maybe I shouldn't have messed with it! The date was on December of 2009 or something insane and the time was 8 hours off. Anyway, after having Kayla look at it we took it to a guy in a little store off the street, he said that it was a problem with the phone and said to take it to wherever I purchased it from. I had NO idea where that was. I used Kayla's phone and texted TJ, he gave us directions and we set out to find it. 

After waiting for a couple minutes the man behind the counter in the back of the tiny store heard Kayla's explanation and took my phone. He opened it up and looked at us with pure disappointment and disgust. With a heavy sigh, he took out my SIM card, turned it around, and slid it back into place...

Kayla couldn't stop laughing about it all day. I do NOT know why I never thought to check the SIM, it never even occurred to me that I could have made such a silly mistake!!!

Happy Resurrection Day

"Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 

'Death is swallowed up in victory.'
'O death, where is your victory? 
O death, where is your sting?'

 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
1 Corinthians 15:12‭-‬14‭, ‬17‭, ‬19‭-‬22‭, ‬54‭-‬58 ESV

Though the world would like for us to believe that the resurrection was only an April Fools joke we know that He has indeed risen and that His return is nearer every day.

Happy Resurrection Day!!!

I intended to post that yesterday, I went to church and then spent the day with Kathryn and Gustavo, I was pretty sick all afternoon and I didn't get to my room until late. I spent the day today in bed, hoping to get over this soon!

 For my birthday my amazing parents contacted my amazing friends and arranged for coffee/ice cream and a trip to la cancha to buy a quilt for my room.

 Kathryn baked me a cake. While watching a movie, we ate it with strawberries, and cream after pizza. 

 Dressed Damaris up in my sweater and scarf.

 The quilt from la cancha. 

 Easter was pedestrian day, which is a big event here.