Tiempo de Cosquillas

Hello Friends and Family,
Here I am again with a little bit more lengthy email. We are in the middle of our third team now. This team is from Lake Forest Church just north of Charlotte, North Carolina. There are only 17 in the group, including five or six family groups. It’s quite a change to have eleven year olds and fifty year olds on the same team, but they’ve definitely figured out a way to make it work. J They are amazing, and I am truly enjoying their visit.
I’m excited to say that God is doing amazing things here in Bolivia. Something that is really cool is that the Bolivian Life Center has been raising money for a bus. The money was completely raised a couple months ago, but the bus is still being prepared for our use. In the interim, we’ve been using public transportation (rented by the week). The driver we have been using this week is a man named Richard (well, actually there are four guys who have been driving for us in the same bus and they all say their name is Richard. I don’t know if they realize that we recognize faces!). Well, anyway, our host team has been praying for him for the last week and a half. The first driver we had was a Christian man who stayed over with us and participated at Sidewalk Sunday Schools (Marcos). Richard, unfortunately, is not a Christian and therefore cannot stay here at the Life Center overnight. So, we’ve been praying for his salvation. He had a witch hanging from his rear view mirror until yesterday. We have done our best to share the gospel with him, both through our words and our actions (he sees us going to plaza ministries, sidewalk Sunday schools and the like). Something must have started getting through because he originally told us he wouldn’t take the witch down because it came with the bus. Praise God, the witch has been replaced with a wooden cross!
Also, in the area of buses. The bus we’ve paid for should be done soon! We’re waiting anxiously for that to happen. The pastor of the church in Cochabamba (who is responsible for starting the life center) has already ordered another smaller bus. This one is an additional need, so the staff can get to and from town without having to pay for a taxi or a trufi (basically a taxi bus). They bought it on faith, not having the money for it. In the meantime, there is a church in Jax, Florida who raised money for the bus and realized it was paid for and specifically marked the money for an additional vehicle for the center. It wasn’t quite enough to pay for the van, but the Lake Forest team’s leader said that their church was willing to make up the difference! God is amazing!!!
That’s just a taste of what’s going on down here. I see God in everything, from the boys’ laughter to their tears, from homeless children juggling and dancing on the streets to the youth at the church who dance for the Lord in their worship services on Saturday Nights. Coming to Bolivia was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done in my life. Since I’ve been here, I’ve gotten to know one of my best friends better than before, met five more wonderful people (two of which I’ve shared birthday celebrations with) and been a part of three very different mission teams from the US. And that’s just the NorthAmerican part of the trip! There are 35 pequeños, boys under 9ish who we get to tickle and tuck in bed once a week (more if I really had the time… but I don’t). Then there are 28 grandes, boys over 9ish, who have dance parties in their room whenever we come up to say goodnight to them. They all have breakdance-offs at our weekly pizza party, from six year old Israel to 14 year old Joel. I can’t even count the number of kids who have fallen asleep on my lap, on my shoulder in the bus or in my arms at night. I will say that one of the greatest moments of my trip happened with Victor as I tucked him in last Tuesday. I had a pretty bad headache all afternoon but I wasn’t going to miss Tiempo de Cosquillas (Tickle Time). I chased little boys around a room with 20 other gringos, tickling and being tickled and laughing with them the whole time. After everyone was tired out, we went to the task of tucking each kid in and praying with them. Normally, they love to hear us pray in English. The first eight or so I prayed with were ok with that. Then I got to Victor, he wanted me to pray in Spanish. So, I did. He threw his arms around my neck while I prayed… leaving him slightly askew in bed. I prayed for him and when I finished, I told him I loved him. His arms tightened into a hug, then slowly loosened as he fell asleep. I sat there for a minute with an eight-year-old asleep on me before I laid him back in bed and came back to our apartment. What a blessing to see the change in him. He was so shy he wouldn’t even play with the other boys, much less the gringos. Now, I see him playing fútbol with the boys and chasing the gringos around trying to ticklen them. And then to have him fall asleep on me like that. It really touched me!
Things you guys can pray for specifically for us:
Alfredo, 17, our oldest boy, just had surgery on his knee. He’s recuperating well but is worried that he won’t be able to play fútbol like he has in the past.
Evert, 5ish, has been having difficulties adjusting. He only spoke Quechua when he got here a few months ago. Now he knows some Spanish, but has forgotten all his Quechua. He also is very violent because he doesn’t know how to show any other emotion than anger.
The Christ Fellowship team that was just down here had 6-7 people get sick. I know some of them weren’t 100% when they left so pray for their healing. Also, pray that sickness stays away from the host staff as well as the teams that are yet to come!
Katie, one of the hosts, I leaving this weekend. She only is able to host for a month, and her time is about up. It will be hard to say goodbye to her as the six of us have gotten so close. Pray for us all as she’s leaving.
As for me, I’m still trying to kick the cough that came with my cold. I’m nowhere near as bad as I was, but I am still fighting.
God is Good. Thanks for all the prayers this far. Please continue to email me. When I get the chance to check emails it’s awesome to hear from the people I love. Unfortunately, our time is limited and I have to pick and choose who I can respond to if anyone. Maybe today I’ll have a chance to reply to some of the ones that are sitting in my inbox since I’m typing this early. J
Please take time to visit the CIN website. www.cinonline.org There are seven kids left who don’t have sponsors. I’m not asking you necessarily to sponsor them but you can see their faces and pray for them specifically. All the kids are special and it breaks our hearts to see that some of the greatest kids here still don’t have a Padrino/Madrina in the states praying for them and loving them. Thanks!!!