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

Crisis Shows Need for Christ

Familia Marcum

Many of you have seen or heard in the news the unrest that our city of Cochabamba has experienced this last week and an unrest that is still unresolved. Here is a link to CNN's report.
Rejoice with us that God's light shines through the greatest darkness, and please keep ourselves and this city in your prayers as the conflict is still unresolved. Blessings from Bolivia!

Joshua, Julie, Michaela, and Eliana

P.S. Shots from our Inauguration Service will be coming shortly)

Our beautiful daughters

Here are some of the newest pictures we have! Enjoy!

An Angel named Nelson and Reverse Culture Shock

Probably the times I have felt most out of my element and the most intercultural stress are the times we have been trying to accomplish paperwork type tasks here in Bolivia. We got all our visa work, Bolivian identity cards, and drivers licenses done in time for Eliana's birth - at which time we had to start all over again - with her papers.

After 2 trips to get her Bolivian birth certificate, we made it down to the Identification Office to get her Bolivian ID card. We stood in line for half an hour (thinking we were lucky) and got to the front at which time they informed us they didn't have the new identity card numbers from La Paz. We'd have to come back later. A week later, we made it back. The line was 4x as long - we probably would've waited the whole day if Josh hadn't gone to the front, explained we had a month old baby, had already waited in line before, and they couldn't help us. A very nice policement let us through to the front of the line (there are times when it helps to be a foreigner, I think!).

We got inside the building and it was a zoo. No signs to tell you where to go, packed with people standing in lines going every which direction. At which point our angel called Nelson showed up. He appeared at our elbows, asked us what we were there to do and then took us step by step through the process. He is what they call here a "tramitador". Basically, his job is to wait in lines and get other people's paperwork done for them. We had plenty of time to chit chat as we waited in several different lines, filling out paperwork. As we were waiting, I took Eliana out of her sling to nurse her. I don't know how many people told me that she was going to catch a cold because she wasn't wearing a hat (now, let me say that in a room packed with 200 people, it was sweltering). At one point, I was sitting next to a lady who kept taking a corner of the sling to cover her head up! (I think I'm going to go crazy if someone else tells me how to dress my baby!) Anyway, at the end of the whole process, we asked Nelson what he was going to charge (thinking that he would probably over charge us, but ready to pay whatever price he asked because we were so grateful!) He wouldn't take a penny (or should I say Boliviano).

The next step was to start her American paperwork. We went to the Amercian consultate - and what a difference. No lines, immediate attention. The consular agent gave us the forms we needed and even signed them so we wouldn't have to bring Eliana back the next day. We went home and filled out the forms and took them back the next day - at which point we ran into the first problem. The passport photos were the wrong size. And we didn't have enough copies of our passports, Eliana's birth certificate, or our marriage license. And he didn't have change for our dollars (we brought $150 dollars - the cost was $147 for passport, birth abroad certificate, and social security card). So down we went to find change and to make copies (Josh went 5 different places before he could find change), and make new passport photos. The next day, I went back, thinking I would only have to drop off the new pictures and the photo copies. Wrong again! This time, the consular's secretary handled our forms. She began to look through them and point out all the mistakes I had made (half of which there were no directions for on the forms), and oh, by the way, I had to fill out a change of name affidavit, because here in Bolivia, they use the mother's maiden name as the last name, and since Eliana was born here, her birth certificate read Eliana Joy Marcum Stephens. If we wanted just Marcum on her American paperwork, we had to request a change of name. She told me I had to take the forms, go buy white out, and bring them back corrected before 12 o'clock, because, by the way, the consular was leaving on vacation and wouldn't be back until Jan., so if we didn't bring them back today, we'd have to wait till then! I was about ready to loose it! I thought this was the US, civilization - this was supposed to be easy! Talk about reverse culture shock (well, a form of it at least)! So down I went to buy white out. I tried to get on the elevator twice and both times I missed it because I had my hands full of papers, a baby bag, and a baby. Then Josh called my on my cell phone. Boy, did he get an earfull. I think he thought I was having a nervous breakdown. I successfully bought my white out and sat down to fill out the forms, at which time I realized our passports (which I needed) were at home. Josh, my wonderful husband, ran home to get them, while I completed the forms. Up we went again, where we waited for the secretary to double check everything and get everything signed.

But - thanks be to Him who gives us strength through all these frustrations - we finally accomplished our tasks. Our daughter is now a legal Bolivian and American citizen.