New Pictures

It has been a busy summer for us - and unfortunately, this mom hasn't been very good at taking pictures. But here are a few pictures of our summer events - thanks to one of our interns, Stephanie.

Our newest family picture. Michaela is 26 months, and Eliana is 9 months.


The Cochabamba ladies, Katie, Talia, and I (along with our 2 Harding interns, Rachel and Steph, who have been working with us the last 6 weeks), who went to the Santa Cruz ladies conference. It was encouraging to see many faithful Bolivian Christian ladies uplifting one another. Josh watched the girls at night so I could enjoy the lectures. What a great daddy!


Our VBS class during our gospel meeting. We were helped by the Aggies for Christ who were here for a week. They helping advertise for the campaign, did some service projects for the church, and put together a VBS for us.


Eliana and cousin Zion, enjoying time outside. Erik, Jenny and Zion visited us for a week over the weekend of our campaign.

Giving it to God

Lately, I've been wondering what God is trying to teach me through all the struggles of the last few months. And I think that over the last couple days, the lesson has been driven home in a way that I don't think I have ever understood before...

Thursday night, Michaela started vomiting, and Friday morning started running a fever. I called our doctor, and he thought it was probably some kind of flu virus and gave me some medicines to give her to help with the vomiting. Friday night I was nursing Eliana and putting her to sleep when all of a sudden I heard Josh yelling my name. I rushed out of the room to find him holding Michaela. She was convulsing and then went limp. I have never been so afraid in my life! We immediately rushed out the door and to the car, me calling our pediatrician on the way. I tossed Eliana in her car seat and took Michaela from Josh. He drove like a crazy man from our house to the closest, most reliable clinic - honking, passing cars, hopping curbs, running red lights. And as I was sitting there holding the limp, unconcious body of our Michaela, all I could do was say "Oh, God, please", and keep trying to get her to respond to something - at least she was breathing. I have never felt so helpless before - and Josh kept saying "She's in His hands, Julie." She finally threw up all over me in the car, and that seemed to help her.

We got to the hospital, and rushed her to the emergency room, where she started crying. Our pediatrician arrived shortly afterward - I have never been so happy so see someone in my life! We thought maybe she had an allergic reaction to the medicine, or possibly had hit her head (now we think she fell when she had the seizure, when Josh picked her up at the beginning, he thought the fall triggered the seizure). But Dr. Monroy was almost positive it was a febrile seizure - one related to the fever she had been running.

They put her on an IV, and we stayed overnight for them to monitor her and run some lab work - thankfully, the lab work all came back negative for bacteria (the doctor would have run some more tests for meningitis if it had come back positive), and her electrolytes were fine, which made him sure that it was a virus.

We got home yesterday afternoon, and she's on some meds for the fever, vomiting and an anti-seizure. Her stomach is still bothering her, and she is just really fussy and wants to be held all the time - but she's alive! and talking!

Again, I just wonder what God is trying to teach us through all of this - in my earlier blog, I talked about His sovereignty and I think that's part of it. But I think more than that, He just wants me to give everything to him - knowing it's not my strength, but His.

Josh's swollen lymphnodes - Give it to God.

Stomach viruses and amoebas and colds and strep throat- Give it to God.

Daily frustrations of living in Bolivia - Give it to God.

Surprise! Third baby is on the way! - Give it to God.

Yes, even the lives of your children - Give it to God.

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens." Ps. 68:24

Tribute to Moms - Past and Present

Sooo... the newest development in the Marcum house has been that Eliana has amoebas (the doctor thinks she probably got them from her bath water, because try as I might, I can't keep her hands, or for that matter, her feet, out of her mouth). Which in practical terms has meant: tons of runny diapers, a fussy baby with stomach cramps, another round of sleepless nights for Mom and baby, another 10 days of forcing medicine down her throat. Needless to say, mom feels like the world's worst mom because her baby has been sick off and on for the last 2 months (stomach virus, strep throat, a cold, now amoebas). A very wise woman at Livonia (yes, that would be you Rosemary!) told me that "guilt" is every mom's middle name. I told Josh - try as you might to be careful with your second child - it really is impossible to keep Eliana healthy with a runny nosed two year old around your house kissing her all the time.

But lest I digress to far into my pity party - I have been counting the blessings of being a mom in this day and age. Living here has given me a whole new appreciation of what billions of moms in the past and millions of moms in the present (missionary moms, moms who live in 3rd world countries, moms in the States who choose alternative child rearing methods) have to go through on a daily basis. How did/do you guys do it without ....

1) Disposable diapers. Trust me. After having 2 children with stomach viruses and 1 with amoebas (and one child potty training), disposable diapers/ pullups never looked so good. I can't imagine what it would be like washing them out, drying them, folding them, pinning them. For that matter - how did my mom do it without a washer and dryer the first few years of child rearing?

2) Canned baby food. I have a whole new appreciation for moms who make their own baby food now, because I am in the process of doing it myself. Canned baby food is too expensive to buy all the time here. It is an all day process - washing, boiling, pureeing, running it through a strainer, and storing it. And I can't imagine having to do it all without my food processer!

3) Over the counter child medication. This is one of those items that I will stock up on when we go on furlough. The child medication tastes good and is packaged convieniently (here, it tastes terrible and you have to count drops for every kilo your child weighs- really difficult when you're trying to drop it into your baby's mouth and they're screaming). How did parents do it without teething gel, baby tylenol, gas drops etc.? This is another one that I have gained a new appreciation for the last 2 months with so many sickies. For that matter, where would we be without vaccinations? It's hard enough watching your kiddos be sick with common colds and other bugs. I can't imagine having to nurse my child through a deadly or debilitating disease.

4) TV. Now let me preface this one with the fact that I have been reading recently online how TV increases a child's risk for ADHD - and so all of a sudden, the TV has been much more curtailed at our house (no more than an hour a day for Michaela, and preferably none for Eliana). But I have to admit, when I'm putting Eliana to bed and am here all by myself, the TV comes on for Michaela. And in desperate moments, it has been a salvation at times.

5) A baby swing. I went into mourning when I had to pack Eliana's away a couple weeks a go.

6) A breast pump. For my male readers, I won't go into detail on this one, but mine has been invaluable.

8) A myriad of child friendly toys and books. Thankfully, Eliana is at the stage where she can sit up on her own and play with chew toys and cardboard books. So many children and parents in the world live without a single toy in their house, much less a book. Kids in Kenya used to play with balls made out of plastic sacks and rubber bands. And so many of the toys available for toddlers here are so cheaply made, they come apart and are a choking risk.

7) A husband. My hat is off to single mom's - who I know do it all for their kids. I am so, so thankful to have a loving, involved husband and father by my side.

My list could go on and on - baby monitors, rocking chairs, etc. etc. etc.. But the real thing that is keeping me going in all of this is my Father. Knowing the extent of his love for me, the things he has endured, the fact that he is with me day by day every step of the way. How do people do it without Him? Most of all I am thankful for my relationship with the Lord.

Under a Cover of Prayer

For those of you who are in the dark about what has been happening the last couple weeks, I deeply apologize. Part of it was wanting to be sure before we broadcast anything, and part of it has been that we have just been in survival mode.

A couple of weeks ago, Josh started having pain under his arm. At first he thought he'd just pulled a muscle working in the garden, but the pain kept getting worse and worse, and then he noticed a swelling as well under his arm. We thought it just might be a swollen gland, but after a couple days, he was having trouble doing anything with his arm and began having night sweats and cold chills in bed.

So he went to the doctor to get it checked out. The doctor thought it was probably just an infected gland, and gave him a round of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, but because cancer is genetic in Josh's family, though that he'd better do an ultrasound to cover all the bases.

The ultrasound results came back showing not a swollen gland, but 7 lymphnodes of varying sizes. The doctor was fairly alarmed, and said that the surest and quickest way of finding out if the lymphnodes were benign and infected or malignent was to do a biopsy. So a couple of days later, Josh went in for a simple surgery. They made a cut under his arm and took samples from 2 of the lymphnodes.

The results came back on Monday - NOT malignent. Josh said he's never been happier to have an infection in his life!

Like I said earlier, I think we've been in survival mode the last couple weeks with everything that's been going on. I just couldn't think very much about the biopsy, because if I did, then my mind started going over all the "what if's". But, try as I might, it was really difficult to sleep for a couple of days. I think I have a much better understanding of the feelings and thoughts people go through when they hear the word "biopsy"!

But I have never felt, as much as I did at this point in our lives, the peace that comes from the knowledge that we are covered in prayer. Over the last week, we have received more encouraging emails from so many individuals saying that they were praying for us - and so many more emails from individuals saying that they were so thankful with us about the results. I took such comfort in the knowledge that there were men and women of God rallying around us - I could almost picture you: around your tables, in your living rooms, congregating as a church, in your beds, on your knees, in your cars, with your families - praying for us. How can I begin to say "Thank you?"

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

Please continue to pray as we consult with the doctors about how to treat this infection. Josh's fevers are gone, but the lympnode under his arm is still swollen and painful.

We are thankful - thankful that the results were not more serious, and thankful that the results allow us to continue with His work, and continue raising our family here in Cochabamba.

We love you all!

Twilight Zone??

It has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks (I keep wondering when life will slow down - maybe it never does!). Here's a recap of what it's been like in the Marcum household.

1) Rudi and Patti's wedding (see previous blog entry)
2) Josh's parents arrive the night of the wedding to spend a few days with us (For the record - I'm so glad they were here. Of course, visitors always add to the business of life - but it was such a wonderful visit. And, seeing as two of the ladies on our team are in the States right now visiting family (more power to them!), it was really nice to have them - kind of took off that edge of missing my family and wanting to be with them.)
3) Jenny and Erik Reyes and Zion (Josh's sister and brother-in-law) arrive. They are part of a team to Sucre, Bolivia that just arrived a couple weeks ago. They came to Cochabamba, a much more modern and developed city (imagine that!), to do some household shopping. We spent a lot of the week helping them purchase furniture, washer and dryer, household goods etc. Don't get me wrong - it was a joy to help them! We are so excited they are here.
4) I loose my wallet (including Bolivian ID card, American drivers license, credit card and debit card, and about $10) the day Jenny and Erik leave. Needless to say, I was very upset about the whole thing - imagining the paperwork and hours it will take to get a new Bolivian ID, a new American drivers license while in Bolivia, canceling credit cards and getting new ones while in Bolivia. We return to the restaurant where it was left on the table- nothing.
5) Josh leaves on an overnight camping trip with the men of the congregation.
6) Eliana begins running a 102 fever. After about 24 hours I take her to the doctor, and end up waiting 2 and a half hours because he's out on an emergency call. She has a severe throat infection and is on antibiotics (which give her diareaha and and upset stomach and makes for a very fussy baby who won't eat except for nursing). So I haven't had a good night's sleep this week yet, and feel like all I've done is nurse, walk, rock, and hold Eliana (and in my spare time keep up with a precocious 2 year old - who we found sticking DVD's INSIDE the casing of the TV yesterday, requiring us to take apart the TV in order to recover them - and attempt to cook half-way decent meals - our stock of leftovers is nil, thanks to this week). Josh's usual schedule continues - and I feel like this week we've been ships passing in the dark (in a too literal sense, since I've been up half the nights with Eliana.)

All of that is background to the story I'm about to tell you. I recieve a call this morning from the girls' doctor's office, saying that they have gotten some information about my lost documents. At first, I'm confused, (remember this is in Spanish, and I have the hardest time talking on the phone in Spanish) - I think they've lost the girls' doctor records and have recovered them. No, no - someone called their office saying that they found my lost ID card (I had a card for the doctor's office in my wallet as well, so I'm assuming the guy found the card, called the office, asked if they had a patient with my name, and asked them to contact me). I am so excited - my faith in Bolivia restored! The receptionist gives me all the information - name, where he works (office, street and cross street) cell phone number. So I call the cell phone - no answer. Eliana wakes up and Josh can stay with Michaela. So I pack her up in the sling and walk up to the road (about 5 minutes) and catch a bus into town (our car is in the shop). I arrive at the office, walk inside and ask for Diego Fuentes. No one knows him - no one of that name works there. I go outside - look around, ask in all the shops up and down the street, ask the kiosk sellers, ask the shoe shiners. No one knows a Diego Fuentes. After about half an hour of asking everyone in creation and looking the fool, I stand there on the street corner, feeling like I'm in the twilight zone, and ask "What are you doing here, God?" And eventually catch a taxi home.

Okay, so let me ask you. Why would a guy go to extreme measures to call my doctor's office, have them call me, and give me all that false contact information, requiring me to haul downtown with my baby and try to recover my missing papers?

Scenario 1 (suggested by the taxi driver as I was discussing the issue with him on the way home): It was a joke. The more I think about this scenario, the madder it makes me! Some joke to get my hopes up that my missing papers (of which I've already started the process to recover, having called and emailed the Texas State Department to find out the process of getting a new license, filling out the forms and getting the package ready to Fed.Ex.) are found - and require me to go downtown with my baby, wasting 2 hours of my day.

Scenario 2 (which makes me rather paranoid): The man called the doctor's office in an attempt to locate our home address/ home telephone, knowing by my papers that I am a foreigner - for who knows what reason, to take advantage of us in some way.

Anyone have any other ideas??

In an attempt to regain my perspective on life - I've been reading my Bible. Always a good thing to do. I'm studying through the minor prophets (a very good way to put things in context) and just the other day, read the book of Habakkuk. I ended up feeling very humbled - reminded of the sovereignty of God - of how He is God of history, and how my very small problems (not that they don't matter to Him) are small beans in comparison to the world wide problems He dealt with in the past and continues to deal with in our present day. Josh gave me a handbook of the minor prophets, written by Dr. Jack Lewis (one of his previous professors at HUGSR). Habakkuk 2:4 states "the righteous will live by his faith." Dr. Lewis' commentary on that verse went something like this "The righteous man will live by his faithfulness. Running the universe is God's business. The righteous man has his daily tasks to fulfill, and by them he will live [faithfullly]" - faithfully being my addition. Thank you, Dr. Lewis! Those were words I needed to hear. He is the one who "enables me" (Hak.3:19) to walk above all this. May the gracious way I approach every hiccup in my daily life be a witness of my faith and His righteousness.

More Pictures

More pictures now available on our flickr badge!

Rudy and Patti's Wedding

We have been very thankful the past year for our homestay program on several different notes - yes, there were times that were hard, but it gave us an insight into Bolivian life here, invaluable contacts, and a continuing relationship with a beautiful family. We have been able to celebrate several milestones in this family's life over the past year - a baby shower, the birth of a grandson, birthdays, renewal of their wedding vows after 25 years of marriage, their grandson's baptism and first birthday, and finally the marriage of their daughter. It has given us invaluable insight into the customs and life of the Bolivian people.

We were a little more involved this time than we usually are in other people's weddings. Rudy and Patti asked us if they could hold the reception in our yard - seeing as we have a large, beautiful yard out in the country. We were happy to oblige. In addition, they asked us to be "padrinos" (the term also used for godfathers/godmothers) of the rings. Here in Bolivia - and I'm finding out in many other Latin American countries - when a large celebration is held, in order to help with the cost of the party, friends are asked to be "padrinos" or "sponsors" of some area of the celebration - in this case, Josh and I were "sponsors" of the wedding bands. Which basically meant we paid for them. We said yes before we really understood everything that was involved (lesson learned: investigate local customs before agreeing to them) and were out a little more money than we were thinking, but, oh well - live and learn.

If any of you have ever had a wedding reception in your home or on your lawn, you can sympathize with how much is involved. The wedding party made multiple visits to our home to measure, show friends and family etc. Thankfully the visits were always announced, but sometimes on short notice. The day before the wedding and the morning of, workers came to set up tents, prepare tables and flowers and cakes. Josh was very perturbed when one of the workers drove across our wet lawn (it having rained all night). Michaela was asked to be the ring bearer - so we had to go shopping for a white dress, and acquire a pillow for the rings. The wedding itself started promptly at 10:30 am (much to our surprise) and was a Catholic ceremony lasting a little over an hour. Michaela did marvelously as the ring bearer. At which point the guests proceeded to our house where the civil ceremony took place, followed by a meal (not till 4:00 mind you!) dancing and music - the party lasting until 9:00 that night at which point tents were disassembled, chairs and tables broken down etc., allowing us to retire around 10:30 or 11:00. What a day!

Although we may have had second thoughts about it if we had known how much was involved, looking back both Josh and I agree that we would have done it again. The Arcos were extremely grateful for our hospitality, and we felt that it was a way to not only say thank you to their family for what they have meant to us this last year, but also a way to bless Rudi and Patti's marriage, and to show them how much we truly appreciate and love them.


Michaela, the ring bearer, with Ariana, the flower girl and the mother of the bride


The bride and groom sharing a dance (and a view of the tents in our yard)

Welcome, Sister Talia!

We were overjoyed to celebrate a new birth in Christ this past week. Talia has been faithfully attending our church services, CAFE groups, and Jeff and Katie's English Bible study for the last few months (not to mention studying with both Gary and Katie) and finally committed her life to the Lord in baptism. We celebrated her baptism with a special devotional and "birthday" cake at the Sandovals following her baptism in a close-by hostal (seeing as we are still in the process of finding/making a temporary baptistry). Join us in praying for our new sister.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Michaela!

This mom can't believe that her little baby is now 2 - running, talking, potty training, and getting into everything! I think back on the first time I held Michaela in the delivery room, and I realize how blessed we are that God has granted us the gift of being able to raise this little girl - and I am so thankful for the past 2 years. As I say frequently, I have enjoyed every stage of her development - although some have been more challenging than others : )

We were doubly blessed again this year to have Josh's parents - and this time his sister Jenny, hubby Erik, and cousin Zion - present at Michaela's birthday. The visit was too short - but hey, we'll take anything we can get. We enjoyed every minute of the last 3 days with them.

We had a very low key birthday party - just family, cake and presents (including some presents from my parents which they left with us over their Christmas visit). Michaela finally figured out the candle blowing process after a few tries! Mommy tried her hand at a high altitude angel food cake - which turned out beautifully but took all the eggs in my fridge (not to mention a trip to the grocery store to buy cream of tartar!)

This mom is looking forward to the years to come - and at the same time, looking back with nostalgia at the fun times we've had the past 2! We love you, Michaela! Happy Birthday!


Michaela with her birthday presents


Candle blowing


Michaela's present from mom and dad - her "park" as she calls it


Michaela, Eliana, Nana, Papa, and cousin Zion

Our Girls

Can I say we have the 2 most beautiful girls in the world? Maybe I'm a little prejudiced!

Eliana Joy and Hannah Lynn

We had the Custers over for brunch the other day and it was fun to see that Hannah and Eliana have reached the age where they're actually noticing each other. I can't wait to see the friendship that they develop through the years.

Bath Time at a New Level

Bath time has reached a new level for the Marcum family - because Eliana is now sitting up in her little tub, which makes it much easier to bath both of them at the same time (not to mention making it a lot more fun for both Eliana and Michaela).

Easter Sunday

Sooo... We're putting together our spring team newsletter, and I volunteered to write the article on our Easter Sunday, which we used kind of as an opportunity for a "friends day" - i.e. invite a lot of people to come and celebrate the resurrection with us (being as in Latin American, Good Friday and the crucifixion often times takes the front seat).

Thing is - I wasn't exactly what you would call "present" for most of the morning. Sundays are hard as it is with 2 kids under the age of 2 - for the most part I feel that if I can even understand the basic theme of the sermon, I'm doing well. I feel accomplished just keeping Eliana fed and happy (and if she takes a nap - I've scored!), and Michaela entertained and quiet.

But this Sunday was even crazier! On the way to church, Michaela threw up all over herself in the car. So we got to church and had to change her clothes and wash her down (not to mention prepare the Lord's Supper as it's our responsibility this month and prep a special activity we were doing with the kids in Sunday school in honor of Easter.) Michaela seemed fine, so we decided to stay. Service started - 2 or three trips to the bathroom - nurse and walk Eliana to sleep - sermon starts and I take the kids under 3 to the back room to play so parents can listen - another trip to the bathroom - and Michaela throws up again - this time all over me! I'm dripping vomit in the bathroom, wondering what to do - and remember I have a kanga (Kenyan wrap skirt that I sometimes use as a blanket) in the diaper bag. So I strip down, put on the kanga, pack up the kids and head for home - leaving right after Josh finishes preaching (of which I've heard not a word!)

We get home, get Michaela and I bathed and dressed - a little something to eat and drink - and she throws up a 3rd time - all over the couch. Another bath - and then nap time - so mommy can regain her sanity.

Needless to say - I'm not sure what I'm going to write in our team newsletter. Josh and I were laughing about it - and at the risk of sounding sacriligeous - I could say the 3 throw ups represented the 3 days in the grave which then resulted in a "rising". Enough said! I guess I'll just have to get someone else's input on Easter Sunday.

Two Peas in a Pod

Milestones

Seems like the months are flying by! I can't believe the milestones that the girls are passing and just thought I'd share some pictures of the latest ones. As I was putting Eliana to sleep the other night, I was a little sad at how quickly they are both growing - and so thankful that God has filled our lives with their lovely souls.

First solid food

Feet grabbing

Potty training

Sitting up

Tummy Time

The 3 Amigos

Another Bolivian Experience

I returned from Brazil to find us in the midst of a gas shortages. This is a little more of a incovenience than in the States, because so many things here depend on gas. We have a gas dryer, a gas stove, a gas water heater, and a little gas stove that helps heat the house. Because of where we live now, we don't have a gas hook up to the city wide system, so we have to depend on the gas "garafas" or cans, that we get replaced every couple weeks. Josh ran all over town trying to find where we could replace our cans, and every place was out.

So we've been drying our clothes on the line, and showering the electric "ducha" (shower) to save hot water. Like Josh said, the most important thing is to have gas for the stove.

We finally talked to our Bolvian family, who told us of an "outlet" place that gets gas in every morning. But people start lining up at 5:00am to get their gas. So one morning, Josh got up, took the cans and went to stand in line. His cans were numbered 415 and 416. He waited for 2 hours, at which point, the people got made that they were waiting so long to get their gas and stormed the oulet place to make a blockade - at which point Josh left - he didn't feel like making a blockade and figured there was no order anyway so he probably wouldn't get his gas.

We drove by there a couple hours later - and they had resumed their places in line - but had made the line go across both major roads, so they could blockade and keep their place in line at the same time!

We finally decided it wasn't worth the headache to wait, so we paid the young man who works in our garden once a week to take our cans and wait for us. We got our gas today - hooray for hot water and machine dryed clothes!

Continent Connection Conference

I just returned from a week in Brazil, attending the Continent Connection Conference for missionary ladies in South America. It was a wonderfully encouraging time - I'm so thankful to Josh for making the financial sacrifice for me to go, and for spending a week alone here with Michaela!

Getting there was not without it's struggles. I had to apply for a visa here, and get a notarized and legalized letter that allowed me to travel with Eliana without her daddy. I spent a week standing in lines and visiting different offices (getting pictures that were the right size and background, buying little stamps, getting signatures from the right people - in other words, jumping through all the hoops) and by the end of all that, was wondering if it was even worth it to go. That is the only time I have ever said to myself - "I hate Bolivia!"

In addition to all that, the airline we were flying ended up cancelling our flight, so we had to leave 2 days early just to get to Brazil. The ladies organizing the conference were wonderful - they let us ride with them to the hotel, and put us up there for the extra 2 nights.

The hotel we stayed at was on a beautiful beach - I was surprised by the homesick feelings it gave me for Kenya. I felt a little guilty being there without Josh and Michaela.

The conference itself was designed perfectly with our needs in mind - we had time for contemplative prayer, time in small groups to share about every important aspect of our lives, classes that touched on everything from our emotional needs to cultural adaptation to team dynamics, and singing in English! They even provided a baby sitter for Eliana. And I think I gained 5 pounds from the great food.

I went away feeling spiritually refreshed - and it was good bonding time for the ladies on our team, not to mention I enjoyed the new friendships I made with some of the other ladies from other mission points.

However, getting home was as big of an ordeal as getting there. They cancelled our flight again, so we ended up taking another airline from Sao Paulo to Santa Cruz. We waited all day in the Sao Paolo airport and were delayed because President Bush was flying out the same time we were. We got to Santa Cruz at about 3:00am and discovered our flight for the next morning to Cochabamba had been delayed again till the afternoon. As we were checking in that afternoon, we almost got caught in an angry crowd who were upset that they had been waiting for their flight for almost 24 hours. But we made it home finally - to the great relief of our husbands, who I think were a little concerned we might never get home!

Growing up in Kenya, the ladies retreat every year was a highlight for my mom, and I I now understand why. I felt like I do when I'm around a bunch of missionary kids - at home.

Eliana's first time in the pool! She loved it!

The 4 Cochabamba ladies

Josh had the initiative to get Michaela's hair cut while I was gone! Cute huh?

More Pictures

I am in the process of posting more pictures from Christmas, launch Sunday and my parents visit on our flickr account. Just click on the flashing flickr badge at the bottom of the right hand column to view the pictures.

Nyanya and Babu visit Bolivia

Well, the definite highlight of the month of January was my parents visit to Cochabamba. They arrived the day before the launch, bringing all kinds of goodies for Christmas and my wish list of unfindable or very expensive American items. They spent a wonderful 3 weeks here, enjoying our new house (did I forget to mention that we've moved???? I'll post a few pictures of our new place soon), time with the grandchildren, sightseeing around Cochabamaba (including the Cristo, the Cancha - Bolivia's largest open air market, downtown, an attempted trip to seeing some Incan ruins), and a trip from Cochabamba to Santa Cruz, which takes you from the highlands to the rainforest (this was made especially with my parents hobby of birdwatching in mind. And they did see lots of interesting birds!) They also blessed our team with a day seminar on strengthening our marriages. It was very hard to see them go - especially with the thought that it will be a year and a half till we see them again on our first furlough. This mom is sure going to miss the extra set of grandmother hands, and just time to talk and share about our lives and the work here. But I am so thankful for the time we did have, time to show my parents a little bit of our lives here. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for sacrificing the time and money to be here with us! We love you!

Babu and Michaela playing with her new blocks

Nyanya and her granddaughters

Babu and Eliana

Overlooking the city from the Cristo statue

The way we go to the Cancha - Mom and Dad got a kick out of us weighted down with 2 babies

Christmas in Ecuador

This blog entry is long overdue! But I wanted to post a few pictures of our time in Ecuador. We enjoyed so much being with Nana, Papa, Uncle James, Aunt Jenny and Uncle Erick and cousin Zion for Christmas - the first Christmas we've been able to celebrate with them since 2000. Michaela loved the Marcum "park" as she called it, complete with swing set, fish pond, ducks, horses, puppies and a swimming pool. We made special memories going to cabins that Joshua remembers going to growing up, and on Christmas morning with all the cousins (we missed you Kaiden!) together. Michaela recieved some special presents - a baby doll and stroller, a special Barney cup, plate, and bowl, and a children's riding saddle (which stayed in Ecuador to be enjoyed by all the cousins and Uncle James). Thank you Nana and Papa for such a wonderful time. We love you!

Nana and Michaela opening her baby doll

Papa and Michaela

The cousins and James riding the "group gift" - a children's saddle!

Nana, cousin Zion, and Eliana

Dada, Michaela and Shiloh

Mama and Eliana enjoying some down time at the cabins on the lake

Nana and Michaela

3 little Santas

On top of Mount Pinchincha (Eliana couldn't ride the ski lift up - she was too little!)

Inauguration Sunday

After months of prayer and preparation, the Church of Christ was officially launched in Bolivia. We are so thankful for all of you who were present with us in prayer and spirit on that day. I rejoiced in and prayed over all who attended. God is good - all the time!

God's victory was not without struggle against Satan's hand. Our city was embroiled in conflict the entire week before our launch. Coca farmers from the surrounding countryside, in support of president Evo Morales, came into the city to protest the actions of the provincial official, whose actions were contrary to the president's party. For several days, they shut the city center down with blockades, until (as a last resort to get them to leave), the citizens of Cochabamba formed their own march and attempted to route them from the city. 150 were sent to the hospital and 2 were killed. The city was basically shut down. No public transportation was running, and fresh food was hard to come by. Into all this mess flew 23 representatives from Austin Ave. and my parents. We prayed for safety and for the success of the launch, fearing that the turnout would be poor. Already, the representatives from churches in La Paz and Santa Cruz, who had signed up to come, called to cancel, saying they couldn't get bus passage to Cochabamba.

Luckily, the coca farmers aren't paid overtime, or on weekends. So they left town. City life returned to normal, and our Austin Ave. folks were able to escape from their hotel in the center of town and see a few of the sights.

Sunday morning arrived and our building was filled to overflowing. Our biggest surprise was the arrival of one of the elders from Santa Cruz, who had driven all night and personally removed some of the blockades from the road in order to give his blessing. We enjoyed a time of praise and worship, and and inspiring lesson from Butch Sandoval, focusing on each person's need for Christ, especially in light of the political happenings of our city.

The highlight of our morning was the baptism of Camilla, one of our youth. Her mother was one of our first contacts in the city, a former member of one of the Santa Cruz chuches who was ecstatic upon finding our small body.

We are so excited to see the way God is working - already attendance is up on Sunday mornings, and we have a list of visitors to visit. Please pray for God's Spirit to continue to move hearts and minds, as we seek to bring the people of Cochabamba to a better understanding of His person and His will.

A view from a teammate's apartment of the unrest

Josh organized a ballon give away with the help of Austin Ave. to get the word out

Prayer of blessing during inauguration Sunday by one of the Santa Cruz elders

Camilla's baptism