quick pic!

i am so in love with the city of cochabamba. it is so diverse, pine trees, palm trees, cactus, and fruit trees. extreme poverty and wealth. mountains and the valley. modern and indigenous.

i am starting to feel better. took another long nap today and drank a lot of water! thanks for all the prayer! love, m

Monday Morning

Good morning! It is Monday, a fresh new week.

It is also carnival here. Carnival is a huge holiday here. Kids have Monday and Tuesday off of school. There are parades, confetti, spray foam, water balloons, masks, special food, and a lot of drinking. I have spent the morning relaxing at the house, not exactly what is in store for today. Bolivians love a good party, so I plan on laying low today.

Laying low is good plan because i haven't been feeling the greatest since yesterday afternoon. I took a four hour nap, and was up for two hours, and then slept for another eleven hours. If you know me, you would know I normally run on five hours of sleep a day, so this is not normal. I also had body aches. So being a good girl, i took motrin, airborne, drank a lot of water, ate some dinner, and went to bed early. I woke up feeling better, but now my belly and I are fighting. I could be dealing with not drinking enough water or the change in altitude. I am not sure. I am feeling better in the past hour or so, but would still appreciate any prayers. :)

Also, speaking of prayers, I would like to ask for you to pray for someone I love dearly today. No details necessary, just be praying for her especially today, and the weeks to come.

My close friend has not had her baby yet! AH! Hopefully soon!!!!!!!!! Be praying for her and a smooth delivery.

Yesterday I went to church for the first time in Bolivia. I attended Cochabamba International Church. We sang in Spanish and English. Some songs were just Spanish, and other songs the verses alternated languages. We sang a song about the Holy Spirit in Spanish, and I know some Spanish, so I understood it. But in that moment, it was so cool. I wasn't singing in my native tongue, but I was singing about how real our God is. I was singing along side other people who i have never met, but knew my Jesus to be true in their lives, as He is in mine. It was one of my favorite moments so far. The pastor who normally preaches was away with 20 couples on a couples retreat. So we had a guest speaker. He was a missionary to Bolivia years ago, and has since been in Paraguay doing full time missions. His message was encouraging and thought provoking. Just simple reminders to stop, look, and listen to what God is saying. And a reminder that we all have a call to be the hands and feet of Jesus, even if it isn't over seas.

I then went over to Danee's house for lunch, with her husband, and two girls. We had a yummy lunch, and awesome conversation. I love sharing the journey of getting here, and all my cool stories of how real my Savior is. We have knit hearts from having the same passions. It was lovely.

Then Danee took me to IC Norte, the grocery store. I picked up fresh baked Bolivian bread, Bolivian cheese, Ramen noodles, and a few other things. I spent 75 B's which is a little bit more than 10 USD. I was told if I cook Bolivian style, I won't spend a lot of money, but if I cook American, it will get expensive quick. For example, in the states I love to cook alfredo. So i looked at a jar of Alfredo sauce, it would have been equal to 7 USD, and thats the $1 stuff at home! But bread was less than a USD, and produce is cheap too. So, I am going to try my way at Bolivian cooking, lots of potatoes, rice, bread, and produce!

Love you! M

PS-It is my mom's birthday this week. I can't be there, but if you see her, will you treat her like a princess, and let her know she is loved?

Isaiah

If you are looking for a good book to read, go to Isaiah. It is full of good stuff!

I realized I hadn't been sharing the Bible as much as I wanted to. This morning I came across a few awesome verses, and wanted to pass them along.

Isaiah 26

vs3 "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."

vs4 "Trust in the Lord forever, for he is the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."

vs7 "The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of righteous smooth."

vs8 "Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desires of our hearts."

vs12 "Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we accomplish you have done for us."

vs13-14a "O Lord, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor. They are now dead, they love no more; those departed spirits do not rise."

Happy Sunday! M :)

Greater things are yet to come.

God of this city (chris tomlin)


English
God Of This City

[Verse 1]
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

[Verse 2]
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

[Chorus]
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

[Verse 1]

[Verse 2]

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

[Chorus]
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

There is no one like our god
There is no one like our God

[Chorus]
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
Spanish
Dios de Esta Ciudad

[Copla 1]
Eres el Dios de esta ciudad.
Eres el rey de estos gente.
Eres el señor (Dios) de esto país.
Tú eres...

[Copla 2]
Eres la luz en esta oscuridad.
Eres la esperanza a los gentes sin esperanza.
Eres la paz a los inquietos.
Tú eres...

No hay nadie como nuestro Dios.
No hay nadie como nuestro Dios.

[Estribillo]
Para cosas más grandes todavía no han llegado.
Y cosas más grandes todavía no se han hecho en esta ciudad.
Cosas más grandes todavía no han llegado.
Y cosas más grandes todavía no se han hecho aquí.

[Copla 1]

[Copla 2]

No hay nadie como nuestro Dios.
No hay nadie como nuestro Dios.

[Estribillo]
Para cosas más grandes todavía no han llegado.
Y cosas más grandes todavía no se han hecho en esta ciudad.
Cosas más grandes todavía no han llegado.
Y cosas más grandes todavía no se han hecho aquí.

No hay nadie como nuestro Dios.
No hay nadie como nuestro Dios.

[Estribillo]
Cosas más grandes todavía no han llegado.
Y cosas más grandes todavía no se han hecho en esta ciudad.
Cosas más grandes todavía no han llegado.
Y cosas más grandes todavía no se han hecho aquí.


Please join me in praying this for Cochabamba, Bolivia.

last blog for tonightne

#3 blog of the night! WOO! Hope you all have enjoyed reading the past little bit. I feel like I will never be able to express all that God is doing, all that I feel, experience, and see. But I am trying to relate as best as I can.

I think tomorrow I am going to do a "who's who" blog. I'm sure some other missionaries' names will wind up in here. So cool to see how we are all knit together.

A few families here are from Michigan. I get to do the "I live here...while pointing to hand" and talk about home to people who know it very well, while in South America. Goodness, so cool.

I will also try to paint word pictures of the different ministries, money, food, and different locations (city, mountains, guesthouse, my room, etc) so that way yall have a better picture until I post pictures.

But tonight, I sit jamming out to music, and drinking coca cola in my room. I am the only one staying in the house this weekend. Blogging away to my heart's content,or at least for a few more minutes.

Toilet paper CANNOT be flushed in Bolivian toilets. Their system can't handle it. Most public restrooms and homes don't even have tp.

Sink faucets are labeled "c" and "f". I wasn't thinkning the first time, and wanted cold water, and got a surprise of agua caliente!

The weather is lovely. Or at least I think so. Bolivians would disagree. I saw many wearing knit caps and winter jackets. It was 67 degrees F. It did rain some, which kept it cool. Dirt roads are muddy messes. My toms are pretty muddied up. It was sunny yeasterday morning. I ate Bolivian Fruit Loops outside. Yumm!

Bolivians = people Bolivianos = money

The water here is very unsafe. One of the other missionaries rinsed his toothbrush off with tap water, and left it out to dry over night. (If the water is completely dry, it is safe) His toothbrush didnt dry all the way, and he used it the next morning. He got sick with a stomach fungus. No thank you! Pleay hbe praying for all of us down here o be and stay healthy.

I had lunch at a Bolivian ish Panera my fisrt day. Panini sandwich with chicken, mushroom, onion, tomatoes, and cheese. It was amazing.

My first night for dinner we had chinese. Second night we had Iranian kebobs. Third night we had pizza. Haha. Its all been amazing, but I am ready for Bolivian food.

During the huge holiday/festival of Carnival, teenage boys will use water guns and water balloons to get girls and traffic wet. I was initiated today. Ha ha.

i got to call my daddy yesterday. It was a fun surprise! i talked to himfor 15 minutes. It was nice to hear his voice, and gush about my love for here.

i went to an orphanage my first day here. I was holding the sweetest boy on the couch, and I fell asleep. I had traveled 10am Tuesday - 10am thursday, and didnt get much sleep the last night. When I woke up, I was covered in a blanket, and had 9 pairs of chocolate brown eyes staring at me. next time I go over there, I need to be super awake and fun. Dont want them to think of me as the boring, sleeping girl!

Cochabamba is in a valley. We are surrounded by mountains that are the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Pretty cool!

I am falling more in love with being here than I ever could've imagined. I know I have 5.5 weeks left, but I wish it was forever. I think leaving is going to be the hardest thing I have ever done. But I am trying to not focus on that. Just taking it day by day, and doing as much as possible while I am here.

Pretty excited to go to church tomorrow. I miss corporate worship, and coming together. I know it has only been a week, but I crave it. I think music is Spanish and English. Preaching is in English, with a spanish translator in headphones for Bolivians.

God is moving here. It is just a very dark place. Be praying for a pouring out of the Holy Spirit, and a revival. There is much work to do. Excited to be doing what i have been called to do.

Earlier tonight i read over some old blogs. Pretty cool stuff. Aasking for prayer about something specific, and two blogs later it is answered.

Thank you for supporting, reading, praying, encouraging and loving me.

Love you. Night Night. Mi

PS- I am a times zone ahead of any readers in the States. Im writing this from the future. Bahahahah. Sunday is looking good ;)

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

the journey

February 15

I sat in the Miami airport at my gate sobbing. The reality of what i was about to embark on was staring me straight in my face. I wasn't scared. I just hated saying goodbye. My phone was dying, and once I boarded that plane, no more phone calls, text messages, facebook checks, or emails at my fingertips. The next time I talk to my loved ones was unknown.

So, I cried over that.

And then one of my closest friend's mom called for a quick last goodbye. She said her 39 week pregnant daughter (my friend), went to the doctor, and was having contractions. That was when the full on sobbing began. I wanted to meet that baby, brand new and just born. I know there are countless hours of baby time once I get back in April, but I wanted to hold him before I left. I hate knowing that I missed it. I know its not a big deal, but to me, in that moment, it was everything.

Sobbing in the airport, I began to pray. I needed the Holy Spirit, the Comforter to come in a tangible way.

i cried standing in line to board, I cried boarding the plane, and putting my carryon away, I cried sitting down and buckling up. Everyone on that plane must've had some interesting opinions of the sobbing, snotting American. I continued to pray for comfort.

Almost everyone on that plane spoke Spanish, so I started praying for someone to speak English. The plane was still boarding, and I still had big, fat tears rolling down my cheeks, when a girl with a Mickey Mouse shirt on came up to me. She stopped at my seat, put her hand on mine, and said something in Spanish. I being ever so graceful, blurted out, "Any chance you know English?!?" She responded in gorgeous English, "Yes, I do. I am actually fluent in 5 languages. I am a translator." I was then able to share why I was upset. You know how sometimes you just need to say it to someone listening, and then it is over? Well that was the case. I said it outloud that I was sad about missing my friend's son being born, but how excited i was to know I was going to where God had me to be. She reminded me of some truth, and rubbed my arm, and sat down. That was all I needed. Just the comfort of knowing someone cared, and being reminded that He's got me in the palm of His hand. No more tears after that. :)

More airplane stories...

Just had lunch. I think. Or an early dinner at 3:30. I had a hot, cheesy, turkey sandwich, a small salad, a coca cola, and 2 oreos. It hit the spot. I didn't even realize i was hungry. The man next to me doesn't speak any English, but he and his wife have kind eyes. I know everyone eats oreos differently, but i have never seen them eaten quite like this before. The man next to me opened his cookies, and scraped every bit of cream out of it, and then ate them. Better not get him double stuff oreos! Haha!

On the radio in the plane all of the verses of "I've been working on the railroad" are playing in English. So random.

I opened up my journal to write these tales down, and a piece of paper fluttered onto my lap. It was a verse from a friend. Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." True that! Such a great reminder that wherever I go, He is with me, no need to fear!

The overwhelming theme of the past few hours has been God is not American. He doesnt just speak English. He truly is universal. Every man, woman, boy, and girl need Him in a very real way, if if they don't think they do. Religion or English may not translate, but a very real Savior does. I knew that before, but now with every part in me, I know that to be true. The power and love of Jesus can break barriers. I am so excited to share His love with some heartbroken and hurting people. Since He does not only speak English, and He lives inside of me, I believe He can, and will break barriers of language, culture, religion, and my awkwardness to share His love.

Love, M