Hola from Bolivia

"Let me go home I've had my run baby I'm done I gotta go home..."

2009-04-08T10:45:00.005-04:00

My last day here. I´m COMING HOME!!!!! hugs, kisses, tears, laughter, joy, greatfulness, sadness...it´s all so overwhelming! I´m incredibly grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to witness his work in a small town in South America. :) I had no idea what I was getting into when I first came here when I was 16. No idea how much this place would capture my heart and how the Lord was going to use this place in my life.

It´s raining and did all last night too. Becuase of the condition of the roads were not sure if the bus will leave for Santa Cruz tonight. Were talking about other options, other village bus stops or maybe Andreas bringing us but if the roads are real bad, nothing will be able to get through. It´s possible I won´t be able to get to Santa Cruz in time and will have to reschedule my flight. I´m struggling because my heart is all set on getting home. All packed and ready!! Please pray the rain stops and if we do leave we have a safe trip to Santa Cruz. I know like everything else this trip the situation is in God´s hands...the best place to be. I just need to trust Him and be patient. Everyone here is kindly reminding me that God is in control of the weather......so that means God must want me to just stay here. :)

The retreat is going VERY well! It´s nice seeing all the pastors and/or their wives.I was sitting in the session yesterday and just couldn´t believe I was there. Hearing reports of what´s going on in all the villages and being there during the time of prayer....hearing them cry out to God for help. I´ll never forget it.

I was just talking to Joanna online and I asked if the kids were excited I was coming home...

joanna: yeah
i was talkin to mel a couple days ago
and asked if she was excited
and she's like "JUUUU-DAAA!"
"Ju-da comin' home!!"
"we're having a paaaaaaarty!"

Cannot WAIT to see her. :)

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragment these last three months. I am so grateful for you and am so incredibly blessed to be living life with you. What a trip. :) See you all very soon!!! :)

Love, Julia

Goodbyes have started...

2009-04-06T15:25:00.011-04:00

It is very hot today in Entre Rios! I want to jump in a pool right now! Angela and I decided to stay in Entre Rios this weekend since we just went to Las Abras last weekend. Friday night I had the party for the teenage girls. There were about 13 there. It was so much fun!

The girls love the movie and we had a short but good talk afterwards about love and purity. They freaked out when I played the song "Only Hope" on the piano. They had me write down the words for them so they can learn it. Guido and I played and I sang the song in Church yesterday. I've never done something like that before but it was a lot of fun! Saturday was Pepe's birthday so I made an Oreo cake and we had a party in the afternoon.

feliz cumpleaños Pepe!! Best friends :) Marcos (Tim Matayo's son) Abby, Saphie, & Joas

We then all played basketball for a while before the youth meeting. After the youth meeting Angela and I went out to eat hamburgers with Beto and his friend Daniel. Lots of fun...can't wait for an American hamburger though! :)

Yesterday, I was really blessed during the church service. Guido's message was amazing on following where God leads you and listening and obeying. Hebrews 3:15 "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." The service lasted 3 hours but was amazing! The worship was full of dancing and the time of communion was powerful. They prayed for me and shared some encouraging things with me since that was my last church service with them. I was able to share with them about my time here and of course started tearing up...:). I love this place. It doesn´t help when they are like, "Why can´t you just stay here, we'll tell your family and friends." They already have a husband picked out for me and I even have a Godmother of the cake (Abby & Joas´s grandma) and Andreas says he'll be the godfather of the rings...:) What do you think Dad? ;) Just kidding...of course!

Worship rehearsal Sunday night!

Tonight starts the monthly leadership retreat and it goes until Thursday. The days are full of teaching, worship, and just spending time together and resting. A lot of the pastors are very busy. Tim Matayo is currently working on building two houses to get income, as well as maintaining his field of crops which is an hour away as well as pastoring...as well as being a father and husband. ...so if they can take the couple days off for the retreat it's really nice.

Crafts with the kids...thank you Kathy!!

making masks :)

Two more days in Entre Rios!! Wednesday night Angela and I leave on the bus for Santa Cruz! We'll get in around lunch time Thursday, spend the night at the YWAM base there (!) and then early Friday morning is my flight into MIAMI!!!!! :)

Please pray the next few days I would see areas to serve, ways to encourage, and people to share the gospel with. I can't believe I'm on my last couple of days here. It's going to be hard to leave them. Please pray for the pastors, worship leaders, and their wives during the retreat. Hope you all have a wonderful week! I'll check in before I leave. Love, Julia

P.S. Scabies are gone. :) yay

April Fools Y´all!!!!!!

2009-04-02T10:21:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I had to. I'm still coming home in a week!! And I am beyond excited :) Your e-mails freaking out were hysterical.

In other news, looks like I have scabies from Las Abras, either that or really bad spider bites all over. A trip back to San Juan hospital may be in store for me. YES! :) Hopefully no shots in the butt this time. ;)

In other news, I'm really craving oatmeal pies. I have no idea where random cravings like that come from!

And I'll leave you with some hysterical quotes from my three year old sister Melody. My mom posted the following on her blog...

Melody (who's 3): "Mooooomm, Ben just told me to shut up. He's stubborn."
Mom: "And what are you?"
Melody: "A hypocrite!"

A while back, Ben hurt himself, and as I was trying to fix him up with a bandage, Melody came and patted him on the arm and said consolingly, "It's all right, son!"

When two of the other kids were arguing recently, she planted herself right between them and yelled, "Guys! It's over! It's over!"

I have been trying to get Melody to stop sucking her thumb and Ben to stop sucking his fingers. Usually when we are sitting on the couch reading, I have to reach over and pull them out. Yesterday, I yanked Ben's fingers out, and Melody said, "Mom, take my thumb out, too!"

Now she's trying to sneak out to the back porch with a cup of milk. There is a straw in it, and the milk is all bubbled up. I told her to come back inside, and she said, "I'm trying to make a milkshake!"

I cannot wait to see all of them!!!!

Andreas, Angela and I may be going to Las Abras again this weekend! I kinda want to stay in Entre Rios since it's my last weekend here but we will see. I'll just go with the flow, and if we go then it will be amazing because I love that place!

One WEEK!!!
Love,
Julia

Wednesday News...

2009-04-01T12:02:00.004-04:00

I got a visa extension and I'm staying till the Mission:X trip this summer!!!

Love, Julia

Behold, I am making all things new :) Revelation 21

2009-03-30T15:08:00.031-04:00

We got back late last night from our third time to Las Abras. :)

"The pleasure of travelling *****" (five star!)

Driver taking a quick nap before leaving

To get to San Jocesito you have to take two buses. Our first bus left us off at the stop and after waiting an hour the second bus finally came except it was packed full. We couldn't stay there all night seeing it was just Angela and I, so we had to resort to getting in the back of this thing (below) for the remaining two hour trip... :)

There were about 15 of us back there. The truck started off and all of us slid to the other side. I'm a very vocal person and I laugh really loud when I'm nervous but I didn't want to embarrass Angela so I tried to act like it was an everyday commute, nothing scary about the back tires going a little off the side of the mountain!!!! We got there fine :) Beautiful view crossing the bridge early in the morning. This is at Abuela's house. She is the grandmother and greatgrandmother to most of the kids in Las Abras. She's catching one of her chickens here for our lunch.

We had a kids meeting Saturday afternoon and that night we had one for the adults. Sunday morning we had a meeting for both. I shared Saturday night the message I gave in San Josecito on loving others, including your enemies. In Las Abras, families are always fighting with each other. Someone's pigs got into someone's corn, someone stole someone's chicken.... It's hard for the adults to grow there because they do not know how to read and can't read the Bible.
The kids love the puppets!! They don't know yet that it's actually us. Angela does an amazing job!! Playing in the field after the kids meeting Santiego's grandson. He's 7 but so small! He has no teeth either but is the cutest kid ever!

Here he is after crossing a stream with us..his pants all rolled up :)

They feed you good in the country! After a bowl of chicken soup, a plate of rice, potatoes and spicy chicken, they gave us each a huge piece of watermellon. Amazing!!

Aleida :)
Rosie!!

I was thinking about three months ago when we first went to Las Abras and how things have changed since then. My first time there I tried to shelter myself so much. I would inspect the kids' heads for lice before picking them up. I would scan the grass before sitting down making sure there were no spiders. I would look at their hands, hesitating before holding them because they had warts on them. Most of the kids have scabies. I would wince when a mother handed me her baby that didn't have a diaper because a lot of the kids have worms there. I was very fearful. Yes, there is wisdom in being careful with such things but it was hindering me so much! A little kid falls and cries so you want to rock them, you can't worry about their lice. To become their friends and share Jesus with them you have to play with them, hold their hands, kiss them, show them affection. So you just pray!! Lord, please protect me from all this things!! :)
We have been to Las Abras three times, and I have learned so much and enjoyed each time. Hiking makes you think a lot. This hike back I was thinking a lot about heaven. Mainly because each time I go to Las Abras I am so affected by Santiego (the man who has one arm and who has a crippled leg).

I always break down when I see him worshiping with his one arm. There are a lot of disabled people in Las Abras. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away" Revelation 21:4. One day, Santiego will have no pain. :) He will be able to worship with both hands! To think of all those who are blind, what a sight they will see! Those who are mute or deaf! Think about it for a minute...it's overwhelming to think of them entering heaven!! I hope I can stand at the gate and watch people enter. I came back and read notes from one of Spurgeon's sermons on suffering... Be encouraged!!

No Tears in Heaven
August 6th, 1865
C. H. Spurgeon(1834-1892)

"The night is dark, but the morning comes. Over the hills of darkness the day breaks forth. It may be that the road is rough, but its end is almost in view, you have been climbing up the steep sides of the mountain, and from the top of it you can view your glorious inheritance. True the grave is still before you, but your Lord has snatched the sting from death, and the victory from the grave. Do not, O burdened spirit, limit yourself to the confining miseries of the present hour, but let your eye gaze with fondness on the enjoyment of the past, and view with equal love the infinite blessings of eternity past, when you did not exist, but when God chose you for himself, and wrote your name in his book of life; and then let your glance flash forward to eternity future, to see the mercies which will be yours even here on earth, and the glories which are stored up for you beyond the skies."

Love Spurgeon! Have a wonderful week!

Love, Julia

Mah-Tay

2009-03-27T15:16:00.016-04:00

Hola! :)

For those of you who have been to Bolivia you are sure to know what Mate is! Mate (pronounced Mah-Tay) is the national drink of Bolivia (also Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, and Chile). It´s a tea-like beverage derived from Yerba Mate tree leaves. Drinking it is HUGE here...a big part of the culture. You always drink it with friends...while sharing your soul (that´s what they say here :) I wish I had some pictures of us actually drinking it but I don't...so here are some pictures from Google so you can see what it looks like. :)

Monday & Wednesday night Guido, Maci, Uba, Beto, Angela, Lideo, Maria Angela, Pepe, and I all stayed up till about midnight talking, telling jokes, singing, playing the guitar and of course drinking mate! Fun times!!

We also drank coca cola con leche. *yellow cups*

Beto

Ruth Abigail :)

It's been raining here a lot lately. It came late this year...it's officially fall here and it normally doesn't rain this much during this time of year but no one is complaining...the crops need it. Hopefully the roads won't be too bad because we are going to the country this weekend. We're leaving in an hour for San Josecito and Las Abras. Should be back Monday, but who knows after last trip! Sure to be an eventful weekend! :)

Hanging out in my room... Wow, I'm going to miss him.

Two weeks today and I'm back to my "home by the sea" :) That's where they say I live. I like it.

Love, Julia

"I hope you have the time of your life"...

2009-03-23T14:56:00.027-04:00

Well, I simply love it here and am having the time of my life!! This weekend was very busy and lots of fun. Thursday was Father's Day so Raquel asked if I would make a cake for a little party at the mission. Made lunch Thursday, then the cake. Thursday night I had my youth English class. Two more students were added so it was a busy night catching them up on the lessons. After class, Lideo, Angela and I went out for icecream while the marriage meeting was going on at the mission. When we got back we had the Father's Day party.

Saturday we all went over to Naranjos for Beto's 23rd birthday! He's the worship leader there. They asked me to make a cake, so I did. Naranjos is about 20 minutes from Entre Rios. Picture the ride over: it was hysterical. Guido drove (!), the car was packed, bumpy curvey roads, cattle in the middle of the road, and I was holding a huge frosted cake! A couple close calls of the cake flying ...thankfully we all got there in one piece. Beto is the only one in his family who is a Christian so he wanted to use his birthday to reach out to them. He asked Guido to lead a time of worship and give a short message before the huge meal they always have for brithdays. There are two traditions here before eating the birthday cake. You have to make three wishes, tell two of them and keep one of them in your heart -- that's what they say here. :) One of his wishes he shared was that his whole family would come to know Christ. He shared this with his family at the table and then played for everyone a song he wrote. It was a prayer to God for his family, that they would come to know Him. It was amazing. His siblings were very affected and his sister came to church the next day! Pray for his family! The other tradition here is you have to take a bite out of the cake. Of course those around try and smash your face into it. While eating cake, they had people share with Beto an encouragement or a song.

Uba sang a song with Guido. It was so pretty! then they all started chanting my name like I was to go out there and sing in front of everyone. yeah OK! I was so nervous I wanted to throw up. I thought I was going to get away with it but then Beto asked me to sing so of course I had to go out there. Here are some pictures...

Beto in the green

Afterwards we rode his horses part of the way back to Entre Rios!

That night was the youth meeting!

Sunday, Lindanadia and I made another Father's Day cake for the church service at 4pm. She's 22 and from Argentina and is here visiting her family for a couple days. It was fun hanging out with her!

After the church service the kids put on a little song for the dads. They dressed up as animals. It was so cute! Joas was an elephant...

He got embarrased during the song and took off his costume, started bawling and ran offstage. So Guido went ahead and put it on and filled in. :) The kids forgot the words to the song, their costumes were falling off...but of course it was adorable. We all hung out after the service and had cake and soda! That night we had worship rehearsal! Here are the words to my favorite song!!!

Te Alabaré

Eres tú la única razón
De mi adoración, Oh Jesús
Eres tú, la esperanza que
Anhelé tener, Oh Jesús

Confie en ti, me has ayudado
Tu salvación me has regalado
Hoy hay gozo en mi corazón
Con mi canto te alabaré

Te alabaré
Te glorificaré
Te alabaré
Mi buen Jesús

En todo tiempo te alabaré
En todo tiempo adoraré

Here are some cute picture of Matias! He's getting so big!
A famous drink here is Coca Cola and Milk. Sounds really gross...but it's really good! And I even hate milk. Matias likes it too, as you can see...

Aww!

I have two opportunities coming up I would love for you to pray for! Next week, I'm going to have a party for the teenage girls here. Angela has been trying to talk to them about purity in their relationships so we came up with the idea to have a party and incorporate a time to talk afterwards about love and purity. Were going to start the party by watching A Walk to Remember. All of the girls here love that movie and we figured it could spark a conversation on love. The girls of the church are going to invite their friends from school who don't know Christ. Pray that they will come! And please pray for me in what to say afterwards. Pray that I would be able to capture their attention without watering down the message and my convictions. Pray that they would feel comfortable with talking and that our conversation would encouarge them to change. I'm so excited, I'm going to make invitations (thanks mom for that ribbon you sent...I was wondering what it was for...and now I know!) and were going to have food of course because what's a party without food!! :)

The second opportunity...One of the teachers in the church here asked if I can teach one of her high school classes about American culture. We haven't set the date yet for when, but I'll let you know. I'm hoping to incorporate Christianity. I will need your prayer! Thank you so much!

Looks like we will be here all week. This weekend we may go to Las Abras!!

Love, Julia
ps. 17 days!

Life Under the South American Sun :)

2009-03-18T15:27:00.010-04:00

Hola! It's a beautiful, sunny day here in Entre Rios! ....Monday night was the school's 49th aniversary so there was a huge festival in the plaza with music, food, and games... So much fun! Angela and I were mobbed with little girls the whole night. Since you love them, here are some pics...

***************************************************

**************************************************These girls are so cute! They run up to you and say "Hi, teacher!" and give you a kiss on your cheek. Everyone here greets each other with a kiss on the cheek, so when I get back don't be alarmed if I do it out of habit!! ;) I'm bringing it back to Orlando...:)

Sunday, the streets by the soccer field are closed off and there is a huge market...

...with tons of empanada stands...:)

I'm off to watch Abby, Joas, and Saphie. I've been taking them every afternoon to the park and then to get ice cream! Church service tonight...

Love,
Julia

checkin in :)

2009-03-16T14:41:00.014-04:00

**Hola!** I only have a minute but wanted to check in real quick...

I'm loving being here! I have had so much JOY lately. Thanks for all your prayers! This last week I've been super busy with English classes, watching kids, studying Spanish, cooking, and church meetings. Angela and I have also been putting some stuff together for the Mission:X medical team coming this summer. They really want to educate the people as well as provide medical care, so we are putting together some presentations and brochures on different diseases and also on drinking water, hygiene, and getting the right vitamins and nutrients from foods.

Angela and I went to Tarija on Friday. We got on the bus at 3am Friday morning and got into Tarija around 7am. We had some hot chocolate and bread at a little cafe in the freezing cold! It was so fun and I could def do that every morning!! We made some copies, stopped at the bank, met up with Loraina and had lunch. We also stopped at the immigration office to ask about my visa days. I am coming back here in July with Mission:X for two weeks (I'm so excited!!!!) so we had to make sure that I would be able to get back in. You're only allowed 90 days a year and this trip is 85 days leaving only 5 left. I was going to change my ticket which costs $200 and come back a week earlier this trip so I would have enough but we found out I didn't need to! They are going to charge me 7 bolivianos a day for the amount of days I'm over so it will only be about $7 in fees when I leave. Praise God! So I'm still coming back April 10th... :( and :)

We had worship rehearsal last night and it was amazing! I love learning songs in Spanish...

I just found out Dave Harvey is coming to Metro Life on May 3rd . I´m soo excited! He came to Metro in October and gave a message called "The Audacious Claim of the Unstoppable Gospel." It was a life changing message for me! If you have some time, I really encourage you to listen to it! He came during the time I was struggling with the decision on whether to come here. The Lord really spoke to me during the message, it was so clear that I was to GO! I listened to that message probably 10 other times in the months leading up to leaving. If you don't come to Metro, you should come visit! The service starts at 10am and it's off of Winter Park Dr. and Red Bug in Casselberry.

A couple prayer requests por favor! :)

1) There is a girl who works in one of the little stores here. I go in there a couple times a week to get things and each time I've been able to talk with her for a little bit... She's pretty snotty to a lot of people but she's always been nice to me and I really have a burden on my heart for her. I really want to share the gospel with her before I leave so please pray that I will have the chance! I know I will have the chance, so actually pray I will not be nervous and that she understands my Spanish. :) I don´t know her name (first step I should figure that out I guess, hehe) but if you could pray for her this week and whenever you remember to. Pray that the Lord would begin to soften her heart so when the gospel is shared she will receive it!

Also...

2) Please please pray for the youth of Entre Rios!! I'm not sure what I should write on here, so until I find out please just pray for them...whatever comes to mind! There have been some things involving witchcraft with some of them. Thanks so much!!!!!

Last night I hung out with 5 of the girls in the youth group. It was so fun and despite the language barrier we had a blast! Here are a couple pics. The internet is really slow right now so only two...

Taking the kids to the park...ok bye!

Love,

Julia

Country life

2009-03-10T16:31:00.020-04:00

O. My. Goodness. What a trip! We did go to San Josecito and Las Abras and wow, I will never forget it. I kept thinking this weekend... I can't believe I am experiencing this, seeing this, doing this...

We left Entre Rios Friday afternoon at 5 and got into San Josecito around 10pm. We made our beds in the church and went to sleep so we could get up early the next morning to hike to Las Abras. We woke up around 6am, had some bread and tea at the pastors house and started hiking!

my bed :) two benches pushed together

Leaving San Josecito...White Flag=Bread! Stopped to get some....

Leaving San Josecito...crossing the river on the scary bridge!!

Crossing a stream....

We took the long way this time (6 hours) so we could stop at all the brothers' and sisters' houses to invite them and their kids to the meetings.

What a place...it's a village in the middle of the mountains where everyone calls you hermana.

Crushing peppers for our soup

I learned the best way to kill a pig and how to make tea from avocado leaves. It's a place where chicken soup for lunch is a treat. It's a place where getting your child to bed is rocking them while picking lice out of their hair. They have a school, but the teacher just left after only teaching 2 classes. I guess teaching 6 grades together is hard?! ;) All the kids are grades behind in books but they know how to make sling shots and kill birds for dinner.

Some of the kids and Angela!

Most of the men there have left to work in Argentina because the recent drought ruined all their crops. This past week the rain finally came, and it CAME! Two months worth of rain, ruining the roads and wiping away a whole town nearby. We had two kids' meetings with puppets, stories and crafts. This trip was awesome because several of the kids who are really shy opened up to us and were on our laps or holding our hands the whole weekend.

Cute little girl I was holding. No diaper on...praying she wouldn't pee on me!

This is Santiago's daughter. She is deaf and mute.

This is her son. He´s 7

Crushing corn and scraps for the dogs

Jonni...:)

Rosie...

We left Sunday afternoon, after 3 bowls of chicken soup (they keep giving you more and it´s rude to not eat what they give you). When we got back to San Josecito we were able to take a quick shower before the night meeting. The church is very big there. They actually have a worship team :) I shared with the church on loving others, even our enemies. The church was packed, people were sitting outside the doors listening.

best friends in San Josecito!

Empanada stand outside the church in San Josecito...:)

The way home from San Josecito is a whole story in itself! Our plan was to catch the bus Monday morning at 8am. Well, the bus didn't come because it rained the whole night ruining the roads, so we spent the day with the Pastor's family. A bus also leaves at 4pm, but nobody knew if it would...everybody in town had their own opinion. According to them, the driver that day was the crazy one so he probably would attempt the trip. Comforting right? :) Well, they were right, we left at 4 and had no idea what was ahead of us!

We had to stop several times to move fallen trees and rocks out of the way. We stopped around 7pm because of a land slide which blocked the road. The crazy driver didn't drive back to San Josecito, he decided he wanted to stay overnight and wait for a bulldozer to come clear the way. He knew if he turned around he wouldn't get paid. So we slept on the bus that night. Half of the people decided to walk back to San Josecito. Once they left, everyone remaining scrambled to get two seats to themselves so they could sleep better. Pretty funny! This guy kept trying to wake me up (I was pretending to sleep) so he could sit next to me...."Señora...spanish spanish spanish something" I was trying so hard not to laugh. It worked and he left and I had two seats to myself. We woke up from our great deep sleep (not!) at about 5:30am. Another group decided to leave then to walk to where the crossroad was (about 4 hours) to catch the other bus to Entre Rios. We decided to leave with that group and so we put on our hiking shoes and we left!

Leaving at 5:30am to hike the rest of the way...

We didn't have any water, only a piece of bread. I made sure we stuck with the guy who had the chicken (it was alive!). You never know!! Gotta stick with the food. :) It started to rain, the road was so soft, in parts of it you would just sink! We had to cross the river 4 times on the way. The current was so strong our whole group had to cross together, holding on to each others' arms. I SO wish I had a picture for you of it...but then again everyone stripped down to their underwear to cross because it was waist deep so I wouldnt post it...but yeah, it was a sight!! We stopped at a little house to get water but their pipes had broken because of the storm so they just had rain water to give us. We hiked about two hours and came to a bus coming our direction that couldn't go any further. That bus was turning around towards Entre Rios so we got on, muddy and wet but happy. That bus had to stop several times for several hours so everyone could get out and help repair a stream so we could cross. We finally got to Entre Rios about 5pm yesterday!

There is a leadership retreat at the mission this week (the pastors or their wives from the country come). I was really moved last night by the meeting. During the worship time, I opened my eyes and everyone had tears streaming down their face...crying out to God asking for his help. Please pray for the rest of the retreat! Pray the Lord would strengthen the weary and encourage the depressed. I need to run, I'm making soup for dinner for everyone.

One last thing... You know what I was thinking this weekend? When God tells us to do something, it's not just a "Go do that...", it's a "Come with me here..." It's like he takes our hand, and says, "Come with me, let me help you love others, let me mold you, bless you, show you." :) Pretty neat!!

Love and miss you all! Thanks for all the emails!

Julia

Buen día!

2009-03-06T09:05:00.021-05:00

Hola!! It's been raining here in Entre Rios the past several days. They hate here it but I love it! The mountains are covered in white mist and it's cold! Nothing like coming out to the market and getting a hot empanada when it's cold!

Walking back from church *thanks mom for making me bring the ugly rain jacket :) It was a lifesaver. And the double pillow cases. And all the zip lock bags...:) You were right.

Nice lady and her empanada stand. Amazingly good!

I met these two girls while eating!

English classes are going great and keeping me busy. I just had another class added of youth. I've been able to communicate with everyone in Spanish a lot more -- more than, "Hey, how are you? Good... Good! OK, bye!" :) So that's been nice! I now have friends around town at the internet, bank, market... It's been great building relationships with them.

The last couple days I have picked Abby and Joas up from their mom's work in the afternoon and have taken them to the park by the soccer field. It's been a blast! As soon as we get there Joas introduces me to all the kids as his gringita from the United States. I´ve gotten to know a lot of the kids.

Yesterday was so funny... The kids and I were hanging out in the plaza where there are lots of rose bushes. The kids went and picked tons of roses and kept bringing them to me until my arms were full of them! Angela came out of the church and saw and she told the kids to not pick anymore (they aren´t allowed whoops). So were walking back to the mission from the plaza and suddenly Abby says very loudly getting their attention, "Look it's the police!" We were passing a couple officers... Joas immediately threw his jacket over my arms full of roses. While staring at them, they began to talk very loudly and nervously about how the police were going to come after us. They were hanging onto my arms making roses drop out beneath the jacket... I was laughing so hard! It was such a scene, everybody on the street was looking at us. Very embarassing but very funny. I'm glad the officers thought it was funny too.

Cute boys & roses ..ahh, life in South America ;)

Abby braiding my hair

More empanadas!

No more cheesy smiles! We had some lessons and Joas finally learned out to make a silly face....

Hanging out with the girlies!

Angela and I are planning on catching the bus today at 5 to go to San Josecito, but since it's been raining, the bus might not be going because the roads may be a mess. Our plan is to get to San Josecito tonight and leave early tomorrow morning from there to hike to Las Abras. Tomorrow we would hold a kids meeting, a night service for the whole village, and another kids meeting Sunday morning. We would hike back Sunday afternoon and spend the night in San Josecito. They asked me to share Sunday night with the church on loving one another. Angela will translate. Please pray for me. Then Monday morning we'll catch the bus back to ER. Hopefully we'll be able to go. Were both anxious to go since we've been in Entre Rios for a little while... If it doesn't work out this weekend we'll go next!

Ok, well I´m off to make some banana bread to bring with us this weekend. I have found out that I love cooking!

Love, Julia

P.S. I'm praying for you Friday night evang team!

Picture post :)

2009-03-03T13:55:00.014-05:00

OK, so people keep asking me for more pictures...to help them see more of where I am staying...so enjoy some random pictures from the past couple days!

Ttoday is a BEAUTIFUL day in Entre Rios! The mission is on the right.

My room

Esther (one of Tim Matayo's daughters) and I (I'm sick here sorry lol). She and her sister are staying at the mission during the school year to attend school here in Entre Rios. Love her.

The boys practicing a drama for the church service

This is dinner most nights (bread and coffee) and the other day I found out that they have never had chocolate chip cookies ...yeah! So I made some! Everyone has to have chocolate chip cookies!

Joas fell asleep during church...don´t you love his overalls? :)

Wouldn't wake up, so dad's carrying him home. Aww!

The kitchen!

Cutest couple ever:

Abby & Joas's grandparents sitting on a bench before Wednesday night church service

I have an awesome friend named Heather who wrote me a letter for every day (85!) that I am here! Some days it's a song or a Scripture verse, while other days it's an an inside joke, or simply an I love you and miss you. Wow, it's been such an encouragment! This card was day 5 -- I was having a hard day and opened it and was so blessed. I love you, Heather! Thank you again!

*bye* :) Love, Julia

Feeling better!!

2009-03-01T08:57:00.006-05:00

Hey y'all :) Thanks so much for your prayers!! My throat got worse after I ran out of anti-inflammatory pills so I woke up early yesterday morning really struggling. Angela took me to the hospital and they said I had a really high fever, high pulse and a bad throat infection (tonsillitis they said). The anti-inflammatory pills were making us think I was getting better but it did not get rid of the infection. So apparently they don´t like using pills here for stronger drugs because the people don´t take them when they should and then they don´t work. So I got a shot. and...apparently they don´t like giving shots in the arm........;) Yeah that´s right.... It was quite the experience! After the meds kicked in I was laughing about it all day. Good thing is I´m feeling great!! I´m on lots of medication. I was feeling so great last night I was able to play soccer with the youth after the youth meeting. It was a lot of fun! We had our church service in Naranjos this afternoon. It was wonderful. This week is full of English classes! Next weekend Angela and I are off to Las Abras again. Hope you all are doing well!! <3, Julia

Today is Friday, February 27th...

2009-02-27T09:44:00.005-05:00

84 days gone
42 days here
42 days till i´m home

I´m halfway!*

One of my friends asked me the other day what was one thing the Lord has taught me while here. I have learned that absolutely nothing can separate me from the love of Christ.

Romans 8:28-39

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." 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.

I have had to get past a lot of fears here, go through some hard times but the Lord has never left my side. I was thinking last night about my first week here. It was terrible! But it drew me so close to God. I prayed ALL the time, had to rely on him constantly for strength to get through the day. Last night I was thinking about how in a weird way I wanted that back. I think it sounds ridiculous because it was the hardest week of my life. But I felt so near to the Lord that week. You can be in the desert but the Lord leads you through it. What a comfort to know for the rest of my life that wherever He leads me, whatever He has me do...no matter how hard it is, I can do it because He will give me the strength to do it. AND he will comfort me. :)

Psalm 23:4 ...
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

It was hard to learn but I am so grateful because I know this will serve me for the rest of my life.

It reminds me of a song I love...

Out of the depths, O Lord, I cry to You

When I am tempted to despair.

And though I have failed to trust Your promises

You never fail to hear my prayer.

And, if you judge my sin, I'd never stand again.

But, I see mercy in Your hands.

So, more than watchmen for the morning,

I will wait for you, my God.

When my fears come with no warning,

In Your Word I put my trust.

When the harvest time is over,

and I still see no fruit,I will wait.

I will wait for You.

The secret mysteries belong to You.

We only know what You reveal.

And all my questions are unresolved

Don't change the wisdom of Your will.

In every trial and loss,

My hope is in the cross -

Where Your compassions never fail.

So, more than watchmen for the morning,

I will wait for you, my God.

When my fears come with no warning,

In Your Word I put my trust.

When the harvest time is over,

and I still see no fruit,

I will wait. I will wait for You.

(from the Psalms CD, Sovereign Grace Music)

Thanks for your prayers! I´m still sick. I had to get some anti-inflammatory pills from the hospital yesterday which have helped some. If I don´t get well soon I will go back and get a penicillin shot in case it´s strep. Please keep praying that I will be able to get everything done even though I´m not feeling well. You all are wonderful! Thank you!

Love, Julia

My best friends today....

2009-02-25T10:12:00.004-05:00

Halls & Agua Pura!

I´m sick again! I wasn´t able to go to Naranjos with everyone yesterday. I woke up without a voice and with a terrible sore throat. I´m very thankful nothing has been serious...everything goes away within a day or two. I would be so grateful for your prayers! Thanks everyone! :)

Love, Julia

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness" Spurgeon

2009-02-23T13:43:00.010-05:00

Hey everyone! It´s been a couple days...and I MISS YOU! :) I now have three English classes which are keeping me busy -- two classes a day Monday-Friday and three classes on Monday and Thursday. I love walking through town and having people say "Hi, teacher!" I went to "worship team rehearsal" last night :) It was a lot of fun. This week I'm going to practice "Open the eyes of my heart Lord, Open the eyes of my heart I want to see You" and "Come, now is the time to worship...." for next Sunday! It's kinda become a regular practice at night after church meetings for Angela, Lideo, and I go to into Guido´s and Maci´s room and make cookies or bread and watch a movie. They put English subtitles on for me. We watched some Christy last night. :) Not quite the same when they have Spanish voices but it was still great. On Sunday, there is Sunday school for the kids at 9 & 10:30am. The regular church service isn't until 4pm. Here are some pictures from the last couple days...

I LOVE this picture! Abby & Joas with their grandma :)

goofing off in Sunday School

Aleida, Nana, & Juanai´s mom holding Matias, the cutest little boy ever

Guido and Saphie walking back to the mission.

Isn't Guido and Maci´s stroller so cute! I can't get over it...lol.

It rained really hard last night so it´s nice and cold today. Because of the rain, all the bugs decided to come into my room so last night I killed 5 spiders (5!!!!!!!!) before I went to bed. And I slept with the light on...somehow I think that makes them go away.

Tomorrow the whole church is going to Naranjos for the day, kinda like a church picnic... It's about 20 minutes away by car. We're meeting at the church building at 7am and are going to walk there. The church here in Entre Rios kinda partners with the church there since it's so close. Sometimes their whole church comes to our service and they come to our worship team rehearsal. Their pastor preached here yesterday. We'll probably swim in the river, play basketball and soccer, make food...and walk back sometime after dinner. Should be fun!

It's been great hearing from all of you!

Love, Julia

2009-02-21T10:09:00.004-05:00

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
Isaiah 52:7

English classes, basketball, pigs, and pictures...

2009-02-18T10:08:00.023-05:00

Hey everyone! My first English class was Monday night and it went very well! Anytime you have two different languages trying to communicate you have a lot of fun. The students are all around 14-17 years old and have had English classes with Angela for several years. In their past classes Angela let them pick an "American" name to be called during class. They were all asking me for ideas and I named all my friends so a lot of them are named after you! I will have that class every Monday & Thursday night we are here. I'm also teaching a class to Guido, Maci and Raquel. Our first one was this morning and it was a lot of fun. We will have that every morning everyone is available. The last several days we have been resting and just hanging out.

Last night and Monday night, Andreas, Angela, Uba (Ubalita!) & Sebastian (Abby & Joas´s parents), Miguel & I played basketball. It´s so nice to actually feel like an amazing basketball player. haha. :) We're going to play Friday night as well.

Last night I got to see Aleida! The first time I came to Entre Rios (2005) I met her and ever since we have kept in contact through e-mail. We saw her when we were here in 2007 as well. I am so glad I was able to see her! She is studying (Pre Med) in Sucre and had a couple weeks off so she is here visiting her family.

We have no traveling plans for at least a week. Pepe and several others are traveling to La Paz for a retreat so we staying here. The next week will consist of English classes, cooking, church meetings, visiting people, making lemonade probably ...;) Since I have time this week, I'm going to post pictures and share a little about each village we have gone to.

Here are some pictures of Entre Rios to help you get a better picture of where I´m living and who I get to spend my time with!....Enjoy!

Pepe (Pastor), Raquel and kids (Alita, Hani, Gabe, and Saphi)

Guido (Pastor), Macedonia (*Maci*) and baby Matias (5 months)

The church

Looking up at the mission from the basketball court

beautiful Saphie :)

Saturday, everyone here at the mission went to La Vilca, a beautiful village about an hour & a half away. The pastor (Tim Matayo) and his family invited us over because they had killed one of their pigs and were going to have a roast. This is a big occasion (kind of like a Thanksgiving) that only happens once or twice a year. When I heard a pig roast I was thinking of a little pig on a stick over a fire...maybe with some pineapple.. ya know? haha. jk about the pineapple...but I was a little sad because I've always wanted to be a Charlotte and take care of a little pig. Well the little pig was HUGE! Here are some pictures...

Not so adorable and I´m glad I saw this *after* I ate lunch :)

Pepe was teasing Andreas "which one are you?"....they do look a little alike here lol.

Church in La Vilca

Sitting waiting for the food to be ready....

Marcos! (Tim Matayo´s son)

I'm off to lunch...

Miss you all so much! Love, Julia

lemons & lemonade:::trial & triumph

2009-02-16T13:29:00.011-05:00

So you´ve heard the saying "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"...well it totally works! Since we have been gone so much lately, the last couple days and the next couple days we are laying low and not traveling. Even though it´s nice to rest, it´s very easy to become homesick when you aren´t doing too much. Today has been a homesick day :) So I decided to go to the market and buy lemons and make lemonade. In my case, because of the bad water, I had to boil it before making it. You might not feel like you have what you need to turn deafeat into victory. Some of you may have no sugar. Others might not have a juicer. It´s hard to find the good in trying circumstances. But we don´t and can´t do it on our own. Remembering these verses has helped me....

Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

James 1:2-6 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Phillipians 4:11 "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."

...if you are having a bad day, make some lemonade... You´ll feel better, I promise. :)

2009-02-16T10:31:00.002-05:00

Hey yáll (ahh that sounds nice...you don´t hear that here) :) Well I´ve been in bed sick since Saturday night throwing up and all that gross stuff. I´m starting to feel better this morning. Please pray I will be back to normal before tonight... I have my first english class! Love you all!
Julia

"You´re gonna miss this...You´re gonna want this back...You´re gonna wish these days...Hadn´t gone by so fast!!"

2009-02-12T17:28:00.020-05:00

*Hola!*

Well the 6 hours (really 9) to the Tapiete tribe turned into a day and a half! Life in Bolivia! It rained (!) so the dirt roads were a mess. We had been driving three hours when we reached a land slide which blocked the road. A worker said that a bulldozer wouldn't be clearing the road till the next morning so we turned around and stopped to eat dinner in village close by to decide what to do. We decided to go a different way (longer) to get to the Tapiete tribe instead of going back to Entre Rios. We had to stop several times for Andreas to get out and roll big rocks out of the way (see picture). At about 11pm, Andreas made a small wrong turn (haha) and we ended up on very soft ground. We found out that the Land Rover (aka beast on 4 wheels :) actually can't do everything. We got stuck in the mud. We all "hopped out" of the car, which was pretty funny. We were sliding all over the place, mud everywhere. Somehow I got it on my face? Thankfully, everyone here has such great attitudes when things go wrong so we were all laughing and having quite a fun time standing in the rain and mud and cold and late and not knowing what we were going to do and...:). Our group of 12 adults and 2 kids took two cars. In our car we had Andreas, Maci (and baby Mattias), Raquel (and Saphie), Angela, and me. Pepe's car with Guido, Loriana, Antonia, Ivan, and Rebecka was behind us somewhere. Since we had made a slight wrong turn off of the right road, Raquel and I ran to where the right road was hoping they would see us. We were about 10 seconds too late and they passed the spot not seeing us. That is where we met our drunk friend. Absolutley harmless mom and dad, he tried helping us by running after Pepe´s car. He slipped because of the mud and of course we didn't laugh at all. Angela tried calling Pepe on the cell phone, hoping we would catch them before they left the small town (cell phone range). She was able to get a hold of them and they turned around! YES! The next hour consisted of us girls huddled together praying and watching while the guys shoveled mud away from the tires and found rocks to lay in the mud. They were trying so hard not to get mad at the drunk guy who kept trying to help by yelling "STOP!! OK GO!!" They did a great job. After about an hour we got out of the mud and continued on! We stayed the night at a friend´s church and the next morning after a good breakfast we left. About 5 hours later we at last pull into the tapiete tribe!

Definitely my favorite village! It´s very small, about 2o kids and 10 adults. When we arrived, we visited with everyone for a couple hours. We all gathered under a big tree and Raquel led a time of sharing with the women and encouraging them. Andreas led a brief worship time and then the guys set up the tents while Angela and I made dinner. Making dinner there was quite the experience. The first step...finding firewood. I was grumbling to myself that girls should not have to get firewood to cook dinner. O well, I got over myself and tried to cheerfully find dry firewood to pull back to the village. The main reason why I was having a hard time was because I am scared to death of ticks and Angela told me that there were a lot of ticks there. The two big things I was scared about this trip was getting lice and getting ticks. Well, I am proud to say I got one out of the way. Our firewood trip gave me two ticks. :) happy happy happy. So Angela made a fire and we cooked rice, potatoes, and sardines for dinner. We were all hungry and it was warm so it was amazing! We showed a film "Light of the World" on the projector that night. The next day we did crafts and songs with the kids! It's weird to think that none of them know what they look like. I took a picture of each kid and showed it to them. They got a huge kick out of that. Some of them just stared at it, not knowing what it was. They also freaked out when they saw the bubbles! *Thanks Mrs. Griffith!!* They all ran around trying to catch them and eat them. I was really blessed by the kids there.

*side note* Andrew and Micah, that boy in the bottom right corner in the red looked and acted so much like you two. I miss you boys! And Nay Nay, I saw a girl that looked just like you today (dark hair, dark eyes, dimples) and I almost started crying. Miss you! and I miss you too, BEN! Ok everyone! haha..**

Antonia, Raquel and I cut every ones hair! All the younger girls got pixie cuts (so cute). It was a lot of fun. I feel bad for the first girl, I did a terrible job! O well. :) I didn't know how to tell her to look ahead and not move suddenly in Spanish... Some of the older girls wanted layers. I tried. It looked fine when I was done but their hair was wet. Hopefully they won't wake up in the morning upset. ..but then again they don't have mirrors! The perfect place to practice cutting hair!! :) I thought of you Hannah and JJ!

It started to rain in the afternoon, actually POUR! It rains there twice a year! I'm glad we were there when it rained because it wasn't hot at all! We played in the rain for a while and then packed up and left. The way home took just as long because of the roads being blocked. We were within half an hour of Entre Rios when we had to stop for an hour because a huge rock had fallen in the middle of the road. Despite all the delays we all had fun being together!

I've been here almost a month. It´s hard to believe it's been that long but it also seems like it's been a year or two! Sometime soon I hope to post pictures and updates about each village we have gone too. Miss you all! I love hearing from all of you!

*Tomorrow Angela and I are going to Tarija (5 hours by bus) to make copies for Sunday school materials and English classes.*

I'll end with a quote my mom sent me the other day. It's really good and makes you think! :)

*My name is Pride. I am a cheater.

I cheat you of your God-given destiny...because you demand your own way.

I cheat you of contentment...because you "deserve better than this."

I cheat you of knowledge...because you already know it all.

I cheat you of healing...because you're too full of me to forgive.

I cheat you of holiness...because you refuse to admit when you're wrong.

I cheat you of vision...because you'd rather look in the mirror than out a window.

I cheat you of genuine friendship...because nobody's going to know the real you.

I cheat you of love...because real romance demands sacrifice.

I cheat you of greatness in heaven...because you refuse to wash another's feet on earth.

I cheat you of God's glory...because I convince you to seek your own.

My name is Pride. I am a cheater. You like me because you think I'm always looking out for you.

Untrue.

God has so much for you, I admit.

But don't worry...

If you stick with me,

you'll never know.*

Love,

Julia

ps. Look what I found! Apple juice!! ah :)

Home and off again...:)

2009-02-09T09:08:00.004-05:00

We got back last night around 12:30 am from Tentaguazu and Nukumbia. We showed a Jesus film in both villages and held a Vacation Bible School for the kids. We put on a puppet show, showed felt stories and did crafts. ...and of course the balloon animals and bubbles! Southern Bolivia is experiencing a drought right now. It´s the rainy season and many villages haven´t seen rain in weeks. This is very bad since they live off of their crops. Many of the dads are having to go to Argentina to work. Please pray it RAINS!!! :)

We are off to the Tapeite tribe, a village about 6 hours away (which means 9 :). It is south of Entre Rios, close to Paraguay and Argentina. They say it is like going to a different world. If the Bolivians say that, I have no idea what it will be like for me! There are about 50 people that live in this village. It´s very hot, sometimes gets up to 120. There are 12 of us going. We should be back Thursday or Friday!

Until then...BYE :)
love,
julia

Las Abras: Love

2009-02-06T08:49:00.009-05:00

Hey everyone :) Hope you are doing well!

We got back from San Josiseto and Las Abras yesterday, very tired, sore, and dirty! The hike was very challenging. It was mainly uphill and was very hot, over 100 degrees in the shade! I didn´t know if I was going to make it. The only things picking me up from staying on the ground for a couple days was the fact that we only had a couple of ounces of water left and so we had to keep going. The trip was not only physically overwhelming, it was emotionally overwhelming. At my breaking point (a couple tears were present :) about half way through the hike, I asked Angela how she did it. She said: "Love." Its seems simple. It sounds simple. It´s a short word and when we think of it we are overwhelmed with thoughts of people, laughter, happy thoughts (what we receive). The kind of love Angela was talking about is a little different. To love someone (or a people) that much is hard, almost too hard. Almost. Not one ounce of it is about yourself. It is a giving love. She said, "The Lord has called me to do this. It´s hard, but the kids are worth it, they are good earth." Wow. So we prayed aloud and then kept going with fresh strength.

While there, we held a Vacation Bible School during the afternoon for the kids, and every night we had a church service. During the day we went to each house and visited and encouraged. The kids there are so sweet. They listen to everything you have to say. They love affection.

Yesterday, after we crossed the bridge, finishing the hike, we all sat down and rested while Andreas went to get the Land Rover. While sitting there, I saw Santiego crossing the bridge. This man is from Las Abras. He lost half his arm when he was 5 in a meat grinder, and later on in his life somehow crippled his leg. He hobbles around with a stick. This man hiked the two hours just like us. He normally comes on his donkey, but it ran away that morning. He falls over and over again but he keeps going. He brought Pepe and Guido to a village an additional two hours from Las Abras one time. Why? Because the people there wanted to hear the gospel. He fell numerous times, but kept getting up saying, "Let's go, these people need to hear the gospel." Overwhelming...

* We are off this afternoon to Tentaguasu, a village a couple hours away by car. Andreas is bringing his projector and we are going to show the Jesus Film in the tribe's language. Angela and I are also going to do crafts with the kids. I´m excited about the film being shown, I can´t believe I have the opportunity to witness it. I´ve heard the response to the film is incredible. Please be praying :) We will be back Sunday.*

Love,
Julia

It´s a great day to be alive!!

2009-02-02T15:00:00.004-05:00

I woke up this morning without a headache and feeling much better. Andreas, Angela and I are off to San Josiseto in a couple hours (2 hour drive) and in the morning we will hike the 2 hrs to Las Abras. We are going to do crafts with the kids and train some of the youth to teach Sunday school. We will be there till Thursday. Sorry so short, I can´t wait to update you in more detail. We are so busy! Thanks for your prayers :)
love, Julia

Prayer Request

2009-02-01T18:30:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone, just a quick post with a prayer request. I'm feeling pretty sick. I'm very tired, weak and am fighting a headache. I'm hoping it will wear off with sleep and lots of water! The Vacation Bible School in Potreillos went very well! Lots of kids came and we had an awesome opportunity to minister to a smaller tribe. I will post more about it this week along with pictures. Please pray that I will feel better! Tomorrow we are either going to Tarija (5 hour bus) for the day or Las Abras (2 hour bus, 2 hour hike) for several days. Please pray I will wake up tomorrow morning feeling better and ready to go! *THANK YOU SO MUCH!*
Love, Julia

Hola. Hola. Hola!

2009-01-27T13:22:00.008-05:00

Hola! Hola! Hola!

It´s very hot here right now! We went to the river yesterday for about 4 hours. Beautiful! The currents were really strong and we got caught a couple times. Interesting scary fun time! :)

The constitution passed (I heard 60-40 percent) Who knows how long till things start changing. Could be a year, could be right away. Bolivia is very unorganized so they are not sure. Everyone at the mission has a lot of faith about the situation. It's encouraging to see how they are trusting God even though they are unsure of what is ahead. I'm reading Trusting God byJerry Bridges right now and am learning that trusting is just as important as obeying. "Yet it is just as important to trust God as it is to obey Him. When we disobey God we defy His authority and despise His holiness. When we fail to trust God we doubt His sovereignty and question His goodness. In both cases we cast aspersions upon His majesty and His character. God views our distrust of Him as seriously as He views our disobedience." Please continue to pray for this change in Bolivia!

Kids Camp during afternoon games.

Aww

I have been praying for vision for this trip and areas I can serve while here. God answers prayers! Angela just asked me to teach an English class to about 10 students (13-17 years old) Class will be twice a week and start next Tuesday. I´m really excited. It will help me learn Spanish and I will get to know the youth better. Everyone wants to learn English here. They also asked me to play the keyboard for the church service. I'm a little rusty (haha) but they don´t expect much. They only have Guido leading worship on the guitar right now. They have a real desire for the church to grow in worship! They would love to see the congregation more involved. They want it to be more than going through the songs.

This is Joas. :)

Sunday afternoon we went to the river to swim. I come outside to find the front seat of the Land Rover empty. They want me to sit up front so I can take over driving if I need to. If I need to?? Come to find out Guido doesn´t know how to drive. He´s only driven once and doesn't really have his license (shh ;). I'm not sure how many of you know the roads here but there isn't a lot of room mistakes!! Unfortunately (!) I don´t know how to drive stick so I couldn't help. It made for a hysterical drive to and from the river. We stalled numerous times, almost ran over several cows, and took about 15 minutes to figure out why several warning lights came on. We almost reversed too far off the side. I could only laugh but I was so scared. Mom and Dad, I am totally fine and safe here! ;)

Lovely little bug that I woke up to the other day!! (not funny)

Everyone at the mission cooks lunch once a week for everyone. They asked me to cook today so I made calzones. It's very different cooking here! We went to the market to get all the ingredients. We went to the butcher shop, the cheese stand, and the fruit and vegetable market. A trip to the market is not complete without talking to everyone you know. After about an hour and a half we got back to the mission. The calzones turned out great! Everyone liked them. Thanks Lydia for the recipe!! **By the way, my sister Lydia made this blog for me. Isn't she awesome! It's really nice to have a way to let you guys know what's going on over here. And it's so nice to hear from you! Thanks for the comments!** What I didn't know was that the word calzone is very close to the word underwear in Spanish. They were getting confused. I was trying to explain that it is full of different ingredients. So until Angela explained, they thought we were having underwear full of ingredients?!...

Tomorrow morning we are going to Potreillos, a village 6 hours away by bus. There are six of us going. We will be putting on a Vacation Bible School for the kids. We'll be gone till Saturday. It will be challenging. No electricity, no bathrooms, no clean water. Please pray for the kids hearing the gospel through puppets, Bible stories and crafts!

Miss you all and hope you are doing well!

Love, Julia

One day at a time!

2009-01-23T11:55:00.004-05:00

Hola! :)

One day at a time. That´s something I tell myself very often! If I worry about tomorrow or the next couple months I miss what the Lord wants me to do TODAY. It's helped a lot!

Last night Angela, Macedonia (Geto´s wife. Geto is one of the Pastors here. They have a 4 month old son who is adorable.) and I talked for a long time. It was so encouraging being able to get to know Maci better. She is in her late 20's and is really sweet and fun to be around. We talked about Bolivians, the culture, how people think here, the youth, how the kids camp went, etc. I learned a lot more about the people here in Entre Rios. It helps me understand them more and helps me in how to pray for them. We were talking about some of the kids that came to the camp from some of the more remote villages (Las Abras, San Josicito). There is such a difference in how they act from the "city kids." They are almost expressionless. Maci said it's because they do not receive affection at home from their parents. It was so sad. We tried to love on them as much as we could. Some of them broke down because they have never felt loved. Wednesday night we took all the kids to the midweek church service. There is something about hearing Bolivian kids sing worship songs. Gets me like nothing else. :)

*side note* Sorry if my writing is hard to understand. I´m sure my mom and sisters are cringing at my grammar and how I am writing :). For one, it actually feels weird writing in English. I am constantly surrounded by Spanish. Two, I don't have a lot of time so I'm writing pretty fast. I hope you can understand what I am trying to say and this goes for all my posts to come. Oh, and for some reason the spell check isn´t working. SO sorry about that. :)

This morning Angela and I went into town to buy things to make pancakes. In America we would call what we made ...oh man, I just forgot. Pancakes are thick compared to what we made. The ones we made were thin and we rolled homemade peach jam in them. Crapes? Lol I know I spelled that wrong.

Angela and I just washed our clothes. They wash them by hand in a tub and them hang them on the line to dry. It took about an hour. I enjoyed it.

I think were going to go to the river today. It's the thing to do here this time of year. The water is clean, and people go swimming in it. I think we are going to go with Abby and Joas :) :).

Tonight we are going to try and make tacos and burritos! YES!!!!!! I'm bringing the Mexican to Bolivia ;). We have had rice, potatoes and chicken every meal. During the kids camp, that's all they make because it is simple to make in bulk. I have peeled so many potatoes and onions, oh my. I haven't really had an appetite this past week, but I am making myself eat because I don´t want to get sick. Everyone in the kitchen was laughing at me because while I was cutting the onions, tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't stop them. Then they tried talking to me in Spanish and I was trying to understand and respond while I couldn´t see. It was pretty funny.
Can you please lift up the following two things in prayer? One is huge, and the other is very small. The first would be a new constitution that will be voted on *this* Sunday. Pepe just preached to the congregation about it, telling them to vote NO on it. It would change a lot of things here in Bolivia, making it a lot more like Cuba. Some of the things it will change: Right now, Catholicism is the official religion in Bolivia. They teach it to the kids in school. The constitution will take that away and make the official religion one derived from the Incas. If the constitution passes, it will probably prohibit going to villages and preaching. This would be forcing religion. The mission goes to about 7 different villages, so I'm not sure what it would look like. It would legalize abortion (Even though it is illegal right now, a lot of abortions take place here by witch doctors). It would legalize homosexuality. It would recognize 12 year olds and up as "adults" (mainly for sexual choices). They can do whatever they want, they do not have to listen to their parents. You can only imagine... Angela said the effects probably won't be seen for a couple years but it would be a huge step in the wrong direction. She said just like the vote for the president, even though the majority might vote no, it might be rigged. Please be in prayer!! This is HUGE for Bolivia!

The second thing, it seems so small but I´m going to ask anyway. I have really bad bug bites. They are huge (like welts)! I can handle the pain, it's not that bad but they are definitely uncomfortable. Please pray they would go away quickly and that I would not be stupid and put bug spray on in the future! ;) Thanks!!

Love you all.
Miss you,
Julia

P.S. I will post pictures soon.

Kids Camp

2009-01-21T08:57:00.005-05:00

Hola from Entre Rios,

It's been a long week. This has been the biggest kids camp yet! All the kids from all the villages were able to come even though the road from Tarija fell because of the rain. The last several days have consisted of getting up at 6:15 and going down to the basketball court. All the kids get there at 6:30 and we have half an hour of excersize. The goal is to tire them out... They have so much energy! We then eat breakfast, have worship time, a teaching, a snack, another teaching, lunch, workshops, games outside, dinner, family time and bed at 10:30pm.

At the start of the camp all the kids were split into families. Families do everything together. We have 20 kids in our family, 10 girls and 10 boys. Each family will present a drama on Thursday to end the camp. Ours is about the Parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13. I made construction paper "costumes" for the kids. We have flowers, plants, thorns, birds, and the sower. The kids seem to be having a blast.

To be honest, living this trip to the fullest is a lot harder than I thought. I have had to fight for joy. Please pray for me! I miss you all a lot! Until next time...

Chao!

Julia

Julia's in Bolivia!

2009-01-19T11:56:00.000-05:00

Hey friends,

This is Virginia, Julia's mom. She called yesterday and sounded great! For some reason she couldn't log on to this blog from the Internet cafe, so she e-mailed me the following update just a little bit ago.

I also put a post on my own blog about her trip, which you can find here: To Bolivia With Love. It has some pictures from her last trip and a poem that I wrote for her the day she left.

Thanks for praying for her!

Here's Julia!

~~~

I miss you guys! I´m safe in Entre Rios. It was a very long ride from Santa Cruz. We got in around midnight on Saturday. I had a one year old on my lap most of the time. :). He didn’t exactly smell like a fresh baby but after a while I got over it.

The kids’ camp starts today and goes till Thursday. The major road from Tarija fell because of the rain so the kids from three villages will not be able to get here today. We don’t know if they will come at all. I´m in charge of P.E. at 6:30 in the morning (lol) and I´m a "mommy" for one of the families of kids. I´m also in charge of getting the kids ready and putting them to bed at night. It should be a busy full week! Please pray that we don’t become tired and pray that a lot of kids will be able to come even with the road down.

I´m picking up lots of Spanish! I can´t believe I am here for three months. It seems so long. Hopefully once I get more in the rhythm of things it will go by faster. It´s a big culture shock being here alone without a team. E-mail is much cheaper than the phone so I will be e-mailing you all most of the time. I hope you all are doing well.

Well, 21 kids from La Vilca just arrived at the mission. The two cooks from one of the villages aren’t able to come because of the road, so Angela and I are going to cook for all the kids. I’m going to be a pro at peeling and dicing potatoes and onions. :)

OK, I’m heading back to the mission. I miss you all and thanks for the prayers.

Julia

Just wanted to give you a couple of pictures!

2009-01-16T11:53:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to give you a couple pictures of where I am going... <3

Here we GO!

2009-01-16T11:24:00.001-05:00

*Well, I'm off today to Entre Rios Bolivia for 3 months! I fly out of Miami tonight and arrive in Santa Cruz Bolivia tomorrow morning around 9am. Then comes the 10 hour bus ride to Entre Rios, the place I will call home for the next several months. I am SO so so excited. I cannot wait to see everyone at the mission and hold the kids. :) I cannot wait to get off the plane...the feeling is indescribable. The smell, the people, the mountains, everything.

I'm not much of a blogger or writer for that matter, but I'm going to try and update every now and then letting y'all know what I'm doing and I'm sure there will be lots of prayer requests. :) I'm going to try and post some pictures too.

I just want to say thank you to all of you who have prayed with me, come up to me with encouraging words, donated stuff for the garage sale, slipped money into my hand, cried with me, and listened for hours/days/months of me talking about this trip, writing me letters to take ;)... YOU ALL ARE A BLESSING and I thank God for you SO MUCH!

Here are some prayer requests:

*Travel Safety*

Pray everything will go smoothly (flights, luggage, customs, VISA, ride to Entre Rios)

*Kids Camp*

This is an annual camp held at the Mission in Entre Rios where all the kids come from all the little villages and stay at the mission for a week of games, crafts, Bible school, etc. This starts Monday the 19th. Pretty much a dream. 100+ Bolivian kids staying at the mission. :) :) Pray for safety of the kids coming to Entre Rios. I lot of them hike by themselves. Pray that this week I would not get sick, have lots of energy, and pick up Spanish!!*

Well, I don't know what I'm getting into, but my intent is to live it to the fullest! I want to live like them for these 3 months. I don't want try and live in comfort there, I want to be open to what the Lord wants me to step out and do. It's ok if I have dirt on my jeans, no make up on, interesting food to eat, bug bites, etc ;) One of my favorite quotes is by Jim Elliot...
"Wherever you go, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."

Here we go...;)

Love,
Julia

P.S. I would love to hear from you! juliagraceknowles@gmail.com

*Hola from Bolivia*

"Let me go home I've had my run baby I'm done I gotta go home..."

Goodbyes have started...

April Fools Y´all!!!!!!

Wednesday News...

*Behold, I am making all things new* :) Revelation 21

*Mah-Tay*

"I hope you have the time of your life"...

*Life Under the South American Sun :)*

checkin in :)

Country life

Buen día!

Picture post :)

Feeling better!!

Today is Friday, February 27th...

My best friends today....

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness" Spurgeon

English classes, basketball, pigs, and pictures...

*lemons & lemonade:::trial & triumph*

"You´re gonna miss this...You´re gonna want this back...You´re gonna wish these days...Hadn´t gone by so fast!!"

Home and off again...:)

Las Abras: Love

It´s a great day to be alive!!

Prayer Request

Hola. Hola. Hola!

One day at a time!

*Kids Camp*

Julia's in Bolivia!

Just wanted to give you a couple of pictures!

Here we GO!

Hola from Bolivia

Behold, I am making all things new :) Revelation 21

Mah-Tay

Life Under the South American Sun :)

lemons & lemonade:::trial & triumph

Kids Camp