Bye-Bye USA, Hello Bolivia!

It is a long journey to Bolivia, and for us it was especially long this time. Our missionary friends and co-workers, Tim and Kim Benner, drove us from McAllen to Brownsville at 5:00 AM on July 18th. I had told Jayden we would eat at McDonald's when we arrived at the airport. That was a big mistake, because Jayden doesn't forget promises! Little did I know that the Brownsville airport didn't have a McDonald's. It only had one restaurant and it was outside of the security checkpoint. Needless to say, my little guy was disappointed!

I continued to tell him that eventually we would find a McDonald's, but I had no idea how difficult it was going to be! We had a short layover in Houston, and although our flight got delayed, we weren't sure how long the delay was going to be and we needed to remain at our gate. There was no McDonald's in view. Again, Jayden was saddened.

We arrived in Miami, picked up our luggage, and headed out to wait for our hotel shuttle. We considered eating in the airport before heading to the hotel, but we knew that the hotel had a restaurant and were hoping there would be restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. We caught our hotel shuttle, checked into our 5th floor room, and headed downstairs to try to find some food. Would you believe there were NO restaurants besides the hotel restaurant within walking distance. Needless to say, the hotel restaurant was a far cry from McDonald's!

After a night in the hotel, my boy STILL had not forgotten about Mommy's promise to eat McDonalds. (Now, I was getting a tad bit nervous since I knew we wouldn't be finding a McDonald's in Bolivia!) We checked in at the Taca desk, checked our luggage, and decided to go ahead through security and find our gate, even though we were about 4 hours early to the airport. As we were going through security, I hear Jayden's voice cry out, "MCDONALD'S!" much to the amusement of the elderly gentleman who was checking our passports and tickets. He grinned and said, "My son always had a nose for french fries, too." I asked the kind man where McDonald's was and he pointed behind himself and said, "Right after you get through security, there is a McDonald's." Sure, enough. My son had already spotted the sign, hence the enthusiastic yell. I was praising the Lord I got to feed my son McDonald's! We were one happy pair! You can tell from Jayden's smile he was thrilled with his lunch.

 From Miami we had a 5+ hour flight to Lima, Peru. From there we had another 2+ hour flight to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The boys did not sleep much on the flight from Miami to Peru, but by the time we caught our last flight, they were both tuckered, as were Mommy and Daddy. We took Edson as a lap baby, so he was on our laps the whole way. Talk about a challenge with a toddler who never slows down! Thankfully we had 3 seats and he and Jayden were able to share a seat for part of the time.

 Both boys are small enough that at one point we had them both laying down in Jayden's seat with their heads on our laps. By the end of the trip, I was carrying a sleeping Edson and Gerson was carrying a sleeping Jayden. We were ALL exhausted.

 We were greeting in Santa Cruz by quite a welcoming committee! Gerson's mom and dad, pictured above, were there. In addition, both of his sisters came as well as his brother, sister-in-law, and our 2 nephews and niece! We weren't expecting EVERYONE to come since we arrived at 2 AM. That was sacrificial on their part! We were given plenty of hugs, and since Gerson's brother is a taxi driver, we had safe transportation back to the house.

We stayed up late talking. I think we finally went to sleep around 4 or 4:30. We slept a couple of hours and then the boys woke us up, ready to start the day. The boys were starving and wanted to eat breakfast. Thankfully, about that time a woman was walking by our gate selling fruit. Edson saw the bananas and started pointing, wanting to eat them. We called out to the lady and invited her into the yard. 

 We made her day by buying a large bunch of bananas for the boys, as well as some delicious strawberries. How I've missed the fresh Bolivian fruit!

So, eating fresh fruit was the beginning of our first day in Santa Cruz. The boys haven't stopped eating fruit since. We can't keep our kitchen stocked with enough bananas, grapes, strawberries, and papaya to keep the boys full! They are both eating super well and LOVING the Bolivian treats!

Bits and Pieces of Travel Adventures

Here we are in Bolivia after two and half years of being away. I knew we had arrived in South America when we landed in Lima, Peru and were told we had to go through security after getting off the plane to catch our connection to Santa Cruz. I´m used to not having to go through security if just catching a connection, so both Gerson and I were startled when we were directed to a LONG line of people waiting to go through security. We thought we had less than an hour until our connecting plane left, and by looking at the long line in front of us, we thought we´d be spending the night there in the airport. However, thanks to our two little guys, we were given preference and ushed to the front of the line where we, once again, went through the whole drill of removing our shoes, belts, watches, etc. Were we ever relieved to get through that!

Our next adventure was to find Gate 18, which according to our flight attendant was where we would find our connecting flight to Santa Cruz. We got there, out of breathe after hurrying through security and carrying both kids plus all our carry on baggage, only to find out that it WAS NOT our gate. Once again, panic set in. Time was flying by and according to our boarding passes, the flight was about to leave. We found a arrival and departure board and looked up our flight. Hallelujah! It was  just a few gates down at Gate 26 and it was going to be leaving an hour later than we had thought!

Once we arrived at the correct gate, I left the kids with Gerson and headed to the bathroom. Remember, the last airport in which I had been was Miami. The restrooms there are plenitful and spacious. There is an abundance of stalls in each restroom and rarely is there a long line because the women can go to another restroom down the same cooridor and use one of its 30 stalls. Basically, the wait is SHORT: Not to be in Peru. There were only 3 stalls in the only women´s restroom I found. One stall was locked, although no one was in it. The other two stalls were full and there was a waiting line. I was also reminded of what continent I was on when I read in Spanish, ¨Please do not throw the toilet paper into the toilet.¨Yup. We´d arrived in South America! ¨ To be honest, it made my heart happy!

We made our connection to Santa Cruz without further problems. We were blessed, however, to meet a lovely lady from Tarija, Bolivia while waiting to board our last flight. In the course of our conversation, she learned we were evanglical (Christian) missionaries. She beamed and replied, ¨Then we speak the same language!¨ What a joy to find a fellow Christian travelling with us! Her husband owns a hotel in Tarija and she invited us to come and have coffee with her when we visit Tarija next week.

How did the kids do? They were amazing! (I wish I could download the pictures onto this blog that we took of them during our trip, but I´m at an internet cafe and it would be a little tricky. Hopefully, we´ll get internet access in the house where we are staying tomorrow. Time will tell. We are staying with Gerson´s family and they just moved last week to a different house. They haven´t had time to get the internet installed. That was on our list to do today, but grocery shopping was more important! ;) )

Back to the kids . . . they were troopers! The first day they didn´t cry at all and enjoyed both flights. We stayed in a hotel in Miami, which ended up beimg a fantastic way to break up the trip. The second day of travel was a bit harder. The flights were longer and the kids were worn out from the previous day´s excitement and schedule. There was some crying and some rough moments. but considering we spent 12 hours ON planes and it took us just under 48 hours from the time we left our house on Wednesday morning to when we landed in Santa Cruz on Friday morning, I´d say they did super well!

The funniest thing that happened with the kids was when Jayden looked out the window as we were landing on one of our flights and yelled out, ¨Look, ants!! A LOT of ants!¨ I looked out the window and saw a LOT of CARS!!! Gerson and I laughed and laughed! It was a joy to see things from his three year old point of view.

Thanks for all your prayers. I have so much more I want to share with you, but at this point it´s going to have to wait. I need to go back ¨home¨ and have ¨tecito¨ (light supper) with my family. We love you all and appreciate your prayers more than you know. Gerson has already preached once and is scheduled to preach 2 more times in the coming weeks. I´ll keep the updates coming as much as possible. I will also try to have photos uploaded soon.

Mommy Ponderings

"I want better for my kids than what I had."

This is a phrase I have heard over and over again by so many parents. It's even been said in our household a time or two (or maybe more, if I'm honest!). But lately I've been ponding that phrase. As a mommy who is on the journey of a lifetime raising 2 incredible, busy and energetic sons, it's rare that I have time for much introspection. Today as I was fixing lunch with my sons underfoot, for some reason that often-used phrase came to my mind and the pondering began.

In probably 99% of the cases where I heard that thought expressed, it has been in the context of material possessions. It has been in the toy store where I see parents contemplating what to do for their child who is throwing a tantrum, or at least expressing his desire, for his parents to purchase the popular toy. Too often, the parents give into the child, stating their plan for THEIR children to have it better than THEY had it! (Been there, done that!)

It also comes up in coversations with other parents. We tend to "brag" about the most recent purchase to make our children's lives more enriched, more stimulating, more educated, more . . . well, you fill in the blank. It seems like the more we give our children materialistically, our peers and fellow parents applaud and express their desire to do the same for their kids.

To be honest, I've fallen into this popular trend too often. Why do we feel our kids need better than us? Are we so unhappy with our childhood? Are we so unhappy with our parents' parenting? What are our childhood memories and why do we want to "one-up" them with our children?

Now, let put in a disclaimer here. If there is a parent who is reading this who grew up in a terrible household with abuse, neglect, or emotional issues, I'm not referring to you. Of COURSE your desire is to give your children a better life --- one without the abuse, neglect, and emotional toil you grew up with. I'm referring to those of us who grew up in loving homes with two parents who loved us, disciplined us in a godly manner, supported us while teaching us of the consequences of our choices. I'm talking about those of us who had food on our table daily and new clothes at the beginning of each school year. Why do we desire so badly to remember those blessing as "not good enough"? Isn't that what we're saying when we say, "I want better for my child"?

This is what I remember from my childhood.

My parents LOVED me unconditionally.
My parents had TIME for me.
My parents LISTENED to me.
My parents LOVED each other and SHOWED me what marriage and committment means.
My parents TAUGHT me about God.
My parents ENCOURAGED me.
My parents wanted what was BEST for me, even if it hurt.
My parents didn't give in to my every demand, but TAUGHT me that some things must be earned.
My parents TAUGHT me that my choices brought about results  --- some good, some bad.
My parents PROVIDED for all my needs, although some of my wants may have been denied.
My parents PROVIDED me with a stable home.
My parents PROVIDED the setting and foundation for me to have a solid relationship and bond with each of my siblings.
My parents TAUGHT me to put others before myself.

And the list could go on and on.

Were my parents perfect? No. They even admit to that. BUT ---- they provided me with a wonderful childhood, full of precious memories, love to spare, and a solid Biblical foundation that became a personal relationship with Jesus when I got older.

What more could I want for my kids than a stable home, wonderful memories, strong bonds within the family, and a personal relationship with God? Do I need to feel like they must have the latest toy or gadget to be successful in life? Must I give into their every whim just so I feel accepted by society? Must I fuel their desires to have THINGS and in the process forget what is truly important in their young, impressionable lives?

I know I will continue to make mistakes in my parenting. Just like my parents, I am not perfect. However, my prayer is that with the strength and help of God, my kids have an upbringing LIKE mine --- not BETTER than mine. For, in all the things that truly matter, mine couldn't have been better! Even if I didn't get my Cabbage Patch Doll on the day I wanted it.

Community Kids

"OBEY" --- A small word with a deep significance! We try to teach our chilren the importance of obeying from the time they are very young. As we grow up and deepen our relationship we the Lord, we begin to understand how important obedience is in our spiritual walk. I see so many parallels between the two ---- my children's obedience toward me and my obedience to my Heaveny Father.

One of the many parallels I see is how the obedience of my children makes me happy and proud. When I tell them to do something and they promptly obey, my heart is filled with joy and I think to myself, "I must be doing SOMETHING right!" I believe that as I obey my Heavenly Father, that He also senses immense joy when I step out in faith and obey His prompting, His directions, His correction. I desire to for Him to be proud of me and my prompt response to His voice.

Oftentimes what we are called to do as Christians (and missionaries!) doesn't make sense to the world. But, if the Lord is calling us to do something, it's time to step out and OBEY and trust HIM with the outcome.

One of the ways we can be obedient is by sharing Christ with others. As we were thinking about ways to do this, a summer Vacation Bible School (VBS) was brought up. I was thrilled when missionary Kim Benner mentioned it to me, for I had been thinking about it but knew it required too much for me to do on my own.

Our vision at Taylor Community Center is to reach out to the COMMUNITY around us. That means it won't always be pretty. Rather, it will be a step of faith as we invite those who don't know Jesus, those who are sometimes hard to love, those who have no foundation of morals and values, to come and participate in a variety of activies.

As we prepared for VBS, we decorated, found puppet skits, selected songs and Bible stories, created menus, bought craft supplies, requested donations, organized the rotations, and recruited help, our prayer was that GOD would bring the kids he wanted to be there. From a human perspective, we desire numbers. Everyone always asks, "How many kids came?" and it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that without a huge number of kids, the VBS is a failure. My desire was that God was shown to the kids through our actions and through His Word --- regardless of whether there were 100 children or 1 child present.

Did we have huge numbers? Nope. In fact, we had about 30 kids total throughout they week, but they never seemed to all arive all on the same night! But, for us, this was a huge victory! You see, about 1/3 of the kids who participated in VBS were from our community and weren't from Christian families. For those kids, this was possibly the first time they've heard the Gospel! What a tremendous blessing to see these kids show up and get excited about VBS!

The Word was preached. Seeds were planted. There is still a lot of work to be done. Will you continue to pray for Gerson and me as we begin to plan Fall ministries? One of the things we announced at VBS is that we will be having a Bible Club for kids once a week starting in September. The kids were excited, as were the parents! Pray as we prepare for this ministry. Pray the word gets out into the community that we are a safe place for their children. Pray that we will remain obedient to our Savior, in ALL we do. And pray that God will place people in the lives of these children and their families to water the seeds while we are in Bolivia for most of the remaining part of the summer. (That's for another blog!)

Celebrating Mothers and Daughters

As we continue to look for ways to get to know the community, holidays and special occasions take on a new meaning. Holidays give us a reason to get together, plan an event, and invite our neighbors to take part!

This Sunday is Mother's day and Debbie McKelvey and I will be hosting a Mother/Daughter Tea in Taylor Community Center to celebrate the lives of the mothers and daughters in our community. It's been fun to watch it come together. Our theme is "What's in your Bag?" Our games will be fun and interactive. And the food ---- well, let's just say my mouth is water just thinking about it! (Think chocolate truffles, mini-cheesecakes, pinwheels, and an array of other scrumptious delights!)

However, as fun as it is to plan, decorate, and bake, the real reason for us getting together with these special ladies is to share the love of Jesus with them. For this particular tea, we are inviting ladies whom we know do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Will you pray for us as we continue to prepare the message we will be sharing? Will you pray for the ladies as they receive the invitation --- that their hearts will be open to come and have fun AND hear Truth? Will you pray that we will remain faithful in doing what God has called us to do and leave the results in God's hands?

Our tea will take place on Saturday, May 12th at 6:00 in the evening. Please ask the Lord to bring us to mind throughout the rest of the week (and especially on Saturday!), and when He does, thanks for lifting us to the throne!

Who Holds the Spoon?

It's amazing how much I learn from my children. It's no wonder Jesus took so many opportunities to show us how special little kids are to God!

Recently, I was especially challenged by my one-year-old, Edson. He is to the point where he eats all kinds of table food, but like most children, he gets more on the walls, floors, and his clothes than he gets in his mouth! When I am in a hurry or have just mopped the floor, I often decide to feed him rather than allowing him to use the spoon by himself.

Last week, I had one of those moments when I wanted lunch to be as non-messy as possible. I spooned up Edson's food and directed it toward his mouth. Without missing a beat, he grabbed at the spoon. At first I let him have control to see what would happen. As he grabbed, the food would fall off or he'd miss his mouth completely and the food would dribble down his chin and onto his clothes. After a few such incidents, Edson realized he wasn't getting any food --- at least not fast enough for his hungry tummy!

Finally, he handed me the spoon. I spooned up the food and began to diret it to his mouth. Sure enough -- he got a mouthful of food! He THEN grabbed the spoon out of my hand and held onto it. He looked at it for a few seconds, then looked at me, then with a HUGE grin handed me the spoon again. I reached out and took the spoon and fed him again. This little "game" continued until he had eaten all he wanted.

This situation really challenged me. You see, we humans are often like Edson. We want to feel like we have control. We desire to hold the "spoon" and direct our own life. However, what we often don't realize is when we do that we just make a massive mess of everything and end up feeling empty. What we forget is God is there, ready to direct that "spoon," filling us up with His Holy Spirit. Even more than I desired to physically see my son fed, God desires to see His children fed (spiritually) and filled up with HIM. He wants to satifsy!

Have you relinquished the "spoon" in your life? God has your best interest in mind. It's time to give up control and let God bring the satisfaction only HE can give. Be like Edson ---- give it up with a smile, realizing that's the only way you'll end up FULL!

Bolivian Culture in McAllen

I met my husband in Bolivia when I was working there as a single missionary. One of the many things I love about being married to Gerson is that he comes from a different culture. It's sometimes a challenge, but overall it's more enriching than anything else. One thing we try to do is incorporate both of our cultures in our household so our children will learn about where we have both come from. How do we do we incorporate Bolivian into our family? One way is cooking special, favorite foods that Gerson enjoys from his country.

When we lived in Indiana, some of his favorite foods were a challenge to cook because we couldn't get the ingredients. One of the joys of living in McAllen, Texas is that here we have lots of Mexican stores that can get ingredients from different Latin American countries.

The recipe I want to share is one I prepared today and no special ingredients are required! This is a fabulous recipe for warm weather when something fresh and cool is needed. It's also a wonderful dish to use up your boiled Easter eggs!
First off, boil potatoes. The original Bolivian recipe calls for 20 potatoes since this dish is used for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, or graduations where there are many guests. However, I just use 5 medium to large potatoes for our family. Even with 5 potatoes, we usually have enough left over for several meals. Cube the potatoes as you would for a potato salad and boil them. You don't want to boil them too long, however, or they will not stir well.
The recipe also calls for diced carrots (cooked), green peas (cooked) and onion. I like to keep things as simple as possible in the kitchen, so rather than do all that chopping, I pull out a bag of frozen veggies and heat them up. Like the potatoes, boil the veggies but only until they are cooked but firm.Pour the cooked veggies into the bowl with the boiled potatoes.
Then add the diced onions.
The recipe also calls for a cooked and de-boned chicken. Again, I try to keep things simple! Tonight I pulled out a bag of frozen chicken that was leftover from a rotisserie chicken we had bought at the local grocery store. Any kind of chicken will work. You can either boil a whole chicken, boil chicken breasts, or use leftovers for this. I popped the chicken into the microwave to thaw it and cut it up.
Then I added it to the rest of the of the ingredients. I also had hard boiled eggs all ready in my refrigerator. I peeled them, diced them, and added them as well. I use 2 eggs for this size of recipe.
The last ingredient is mayo! Add enough mayo to make it into a salad --- with the consistency like that of an American potato salad.
Place it in the refrigerator to chill. The result if SCRUMPTIOUS! It's hearty enough to be a complete meal, and it has protein, carbs, and veggies all in one.

Below I will put the original Bolivian recipe from my Bolivian cookbook. As you will be able to tell, I put my own spin on it. You can do the same! Hope you try it! Enjoy!

Sapicon (Bolivian Chicken/Potato Salad)

20+ large potatoes, cubed and cooked

1 cooked and de-boned chicken (cubed)

2 cups carrots, diced and cooked

2 cups green peas, diced and cooked

1 cup diced onion (optional)

4 hard boiled eggs

1 cup sliced green olives

mayonnaise to taste

salt and pepper to taste