Ah what a day.

I took a truffi by myself today. A truffi is a vehicle (kinda like a taxi and a bus) that has a certain route they drive all day. They all have route numbers posted on the front of their vehicles. They can be vans, cars, suvs, or buses. They cost 1 B and 70 centavos. (30ish cents in US) The price is the same regardless of how long you ride. To get on, you stand on a corner or kinda in the street and wave one down. I take the 270 up and down America. (a main road. off of it is my house, mike and bonnie's house, the store, the church, etc) Once on, you might be the only person riding, or there could be over 20, depends on the route and time of day. To get off you hollar "i want to get off" or "the next corner please". It is an interesting way to travel! But cheap and effective!

Went to Saturday outdoor market. i bought cilantro, onion, tomato, and avacado to make guac tomo. i do have to wash everything in a special antiseptic before doing anything with it, so i need to pick it up at the store after church. i also bought a huge bouquet of daisies for my room for 5 b's (equal to less than a $1 usd)

went to baby washing in the plaza. i didn't wash today. i dressed the babes after they were washed. some had scabies and other things on their skin. heart breaking. but my oh my, i was smitten.

mike and i then went to another side of town to the coffee roaster. he wasn't finished yet, so i got to watch beans be roasted, ground and bagged. man it smelled good in there! about 50% of proceeds from bolivia's best coffee goes right into these orphanages. so cool. and it is really good coffee. i encourage people to buy it, now that i really see how it profits here. (check out the link on my blog!)

we then went out to pizza. three missionary families and me. there is so much work to be done here, and everyone has different passions, so its cool how God uses them all differently. There is work with the homeless on Tuesday nights. Fridays Steve goes to a bad part of town with some nurses and brings medical care to prostitutes and glue sniffers. He said it is the hardest thing, there are so many images you cant get rid of, that you wish you never saw. But i am anxious to do work there. God lit under me a fire for girls and women in prostitution and human trafficking, so looks like i get to get my hands dirty. there is also a nutrition center in town that takes care of kids. danee was telling me that one baby she just saw was 7 months old, but looked like a newborn. he was all skin and bones. there aren't enough workers there, so a lot of times babies are left in their cribs. so i plan on serving there too. such a need for Jesus' love. not even necessarily sharing the gospel yet, just meeting basic needs and showing love. what a broken place.

Ecclesiates 1:18 "For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief." The more I see here, the more heartbroken I have become. But these people will not be freed, healed, and restored if we turn our backs, and avert our eyes. So convicted to do as much as I can in the name of Jesus while I am here.

I apologize for poor grammar.I am trying to get a few blogs done tonight before bed, so just pounding them out.

Pray for adjustment to the high altitude. I had a headache today. And for a continued healthy body!

(one of my friend's little girl's prays that Jesus would keep me safe if a bear were to bite my finger. out of the mouth's of babes. goodness, i love it!)

Love you all, M