Update - Week of March 21

Dilma and the girls

I found out on Sunday that Tito, the husband is out of the hospital and walking around!!!  This is such a miracle!   He was burned over 80% of his body – in the USA, the survival rate is low, here, it is even lower.  The conditions are less than sanitary and the pain management is non-existent. 

Pray that Tito will find the purpose God has for him.   I believe he survived this ordeal for a reason.  They are currently waiting til the first of April to come out here to the Word of Life property and be Evangelism and Discipleship Center students for the year.  They will receive Bible training and personal counseling. (See below for more details) 

Right now, they are living at a church in the city.  Dilma has learned how to use a gas stove and is cooking for the family.  They are getting some much needed together, family time after being seperated for so many months.

Aguila  Christian Academy

School is still going great!!  The kids are still loving it.  English classes are a great blessing for me this year because I have 3 other teachers helping – wonderful.  I had a full conversation with one of my second graders the other day in English!  I was so encouraged. 

Monday was Father’s Day here in Bolivia.  I heard the first graders making a card for their dads in English class.  One of the students kept repeating to the teacher, “My father, no English!  My father, no English!  My father, no English!  ”  The teacher finally reverted to Spanish and explained that it was ok,  he could still read the card.  The student finally calmed down and made the card in English.  So cute. 

My Health

I know many have been praying for me lately because I have been sick.  We have finally figured out the cause of my lung problems.  It is allergy induced asthma.  My doctor has prescribed me an inhaler to use when I exercise and has given me the OK to begin running again.  I am so thankful that we have finally figured it out and it is treatable.  It has been a long 2 months.  Thank you to all that have prayed for me.

Evangelism and Discipleship Center

The 2012 CED will begin on April 3.  Youth from all over Bolivia and a few from Argentina will come to the property and live for a year.  They will take Bible courses all year, go on 3 Evangelistic Tours around Bolivia where thousands will hear the Gospel and they will work in the local churches o f Bolivia.  Pray for these new students as they make this commitment for God during this year.  Pray also for the impact they can make on the people of Bolivia.

Back In The Swing of Things – Brief Update

Aguila Christian Academy – Re-runs and Newbies

We started the 2012 year on Monday, March 5.  We have 15 students this year, 13 “re-runs” and 2 “newbies”.  The first week went great.  No big problems or major changes in the schedule.  This is a great thing for me!  This year we have students in Kindergarten up to 10^th grade.  The trampoline is still the most popular recess activity – they have daily “talent” contests where you hear ooohhhs and aaahhs all over the property

Dilma and the Girls

Dilma went back to Oromomo for 2 weeks to visit her family.  She is currently living in the city with another missionary couple.  Tito, the husband, is doing much better, he is now able to get around in a wheel-chair.  I think in a few more weeks they will release him from the hospital.

Word of Life Property – A Shrinking Mountain

We are preparing for flooding again!  The lake continues to rise, so they have decided to raise the level of the ground around my apartment, so that as the water table rises, it will not flood.  The idea is to get the ground higher than the water table.  So, they have been building a wall to contain the dirt and then bringing in truck loads of dirt from the mountain.  They are doing this mainly for a family that lives under my terrace.  If the water rises like it did last year, they will have 2 inches of water inside their house. 

Also, imagine having your garage filled with red clay – that is the way my house is – the entrance to my stairs and about 50 yards in both directions is just a huge red clay pile!  I have to mop everyday!  But, I would rather mop than walk through water!!  If you don’t remember the flooding from last year, look back in the March and April blogs for a picture.

First time in a hair salon, Antlers and School Schedules

Dilma had her first trip to a hair salon on Monday!  She had been asking me to get someone to cut it for a while and I couldn't find anyone.  Finally, it dawned on me to just take her to town and get it cut.  She was very nervous and was looking at everything the whole time.  Also, when the stylist turned on the hair-dryer, Dilma jumped, the noise scared her and about 3 hours later, she finally asked me "What was that machine that made so much noise?"  She didn't know it was drying her hair!

Lizbeth got to wear some reindeer antlers at a missionary house, she loved them, even though she doesn't know what they are.  All three girls loved the Christmas tree, singing caroling dolls and the lights - I guess I need to decorate my house. . .

Finally, so you don't think I JUST entertain live-in guests, here is a photo of the second draft of Aguila Christian Academy's 2012 class schedule.  It looks complicate and it is -- but not as bad as last year . . . so far.

Bottle races and Knitting

The girls love to push my 5 gallon water bottles around the floor.  As soon as they walk in the door, they run andd get them and the race begins!  I got the bright idea to put a towel underneath them, so now as they push, they clean the floor!!  Here they are racing. (Don't let the coats confuse you, it was about 65 degrees when I took this photo. . . )

 
Also, yesterday, I taught Dilma, the mother, how to knit using straight needles.  She love it.  At first, she couldn't get her fingers to bend the right way, but now she has got the hang of it.  She has learned to cast-on and do the knit stich.  She is currently working on a GIANT dish cloth right now, so when she gets it the size she wants, I will teach her to bind-off.  So far, she really enjoys it.

I think we should have a Top Chef Jungle edition!  I would definitly win.  Have the show in the jungle and let the villagers be the judges.  I have made some awesome dishes according to jungle standards.    For example, the other night I made pureed chicken livers with potatos and pasta - they loved it, said it tasted like monkey.  Then, last night, I made fish and rice soup - just fish and rice boiled together.  They loved it too and even ate the left-overs for breakfast this morning!  I really think I would win the Jungle edition!

God Saves!

Great Praise! Juanita, one of the PdV missionaries came and shared with Dilma today, using the cube. Dilma accepted Christ! Juanita had her explain it back to her and Dilma explained it all! She said she had heard of Christ but never knew what He had done. Now, she knows He came to the world to die for our sins. Pray for this new babe in Christ

Hats and comfort food

Dilma has taken the ball (of yarn that is) and ran with it.  On Sunday morning, this was the scene I was greeted with.  All three of  them wearing stocking hats that she had knitted.  She is very proud of them and has them wear them all the time, despite the fact that it gets pretty hot here in the afternoons!

Also, I bought some fish for her to cook, she enjoyed cooking it and the girls enjoyed eating it, they have been missing fish.  Aftterwards, I had to clean my kitchen forever, there was grease and raw fish everywhere!  EVERYWHERE!

Other comfort foods for them are yuca, boiled plantain, mango and corn.  These are the foods they usually eat in the jungle, so these are the foods they miss the most.  The good news is I can get all that in town, so, needless to say, my shopping list has changed a bit!

Great Thanksgiving, despite some setbacks. . .

Our Thanksgiving meal.

Well, Thanksgiving came and went.  I must admit it was a bit of a challenging day for me.  Lizbeth was running a fever and having stomach cramps, thus she was crying constantly.  This does not make for a happy time!  I went ahead and cooked the turkey, first one I have ever cooked.  It turned out good, a little dry, but still good.  We ate around 1:30 and you can see by the picture that Mariana loved the giant legs!  She chowed down! 

However, Liz continued to cry and be unhappy, thus making us unhappy, I admit I cried too at one point.  Finally, after talking with a doctor, he decided we needed a stool analysis.  So, after a diaper had been filled, I made the 1 1/2 hour drive to and from the lab.  Turns out she has a bacterial infection in her stomach.  (Don't ask me where she got it from. . . )  Now, she has been on antibiotics for 24 hours and is a whole new child.  Antibiotics are wonderful!

In the end, we had a great Thanksgiving, but I admit it had many ups and downs in just 24 hours!

In other news, I have taught Dilma to knit using the Kniffty Knitter Loom.  She loves it.  She has already knitted 2 hats in 2 days and continues to make more.  She wants to make a hat for everyone in her family.  She likes the first hat she made so much that she wears it all the tiime and when she is not wearing it, Lizbetha and Mariana are fighting over it. 

After she masters the loom, I am going to teach her to use needles.  So, thank you to all that have helped by donating thread and looms.

Finally, I have finally found something cold that the girls like, they love strawberry smoothies at night.  Here is another picture of Mariana, enjoying smoothie.  (She loves to eat)